The Respiratory System

1. The Respiratory System By Anya, Haley, Natasha & Blau

2. Intro to the Lungs - Oxygen is taken into the body and Carbon Dioxide is breathed out. - Your lungs lie on either side of your breastbone and fill the inside of your chest cavity (source 3). -Your left lung is slightly smaller than your right lung to allow room for your heart. (Source 2)

3. How does air get into the lungs? * To deliver oxygen to the body, air is breathed in through the mouth, nose, or both. The air is sucked is when the diaphragm contracts or flattens. *After entering the nose or mouth, air travels down the trachea. The trachea is the tube lying closest to the neck. Behind the trachea is the esophagus or "food tube". When we inhale, air moves down the trachea and when we eat the food moves down the esophagus. The path that air and food takes is controlled by the epiglottis, a gate that prevents food from entering the trachea. *The trachea divides into one left and one right breathing tube, called bronchi. The left bronchus leads to the left lung and the right bronchus leads to the right lung. These breathing tubes continue to divide into smaller and smaller tubes called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli. Alveoli, look like clusters of grapes attached to tiny breathing tubes. There are over 300 million alveoli in normal lungs. (Source 3)

4. Oxygen’s path

5. The Diaphragm * The largest and most efficient muscle that helps in the breathing process is the diaphragm. *The diaphragm is a large muscle that lies under the lungs and separates them from the organs below, such as the stomach, intestines, liver, etc (source 3) *As the diaphragm moves down or flattens (contracts), the ribs flare outward, the lungs expand and air is drawn in. This process is called inhalation or inspiration (source 3) *As the diaphragm relaxes, air leaves the lungs and they spring back to their original position. This is called exhalation or expiration. The lungs, like balloons, require energy to blow up but no energy is needed to get air out.

6. Inspiration and Expiration

7. - Trachea: air passageway that branches into two airways, one leading into the tissue of each lung (source 3) --> each airway is a bronchus (lining is a barrier to infection) - Your bronchi branch splits into thousands of smaller, thinner tubes called bronchioles-->These tubes end in bunches of tiny round air sacs called alveoli (explained on next slide) -- Each of these air sacs is covered in a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries.-->they connect to a network of arteries and veins that move blood through your body. Pleura: Double-layer membrane that separates lungs from other organs; the narrow, fluid filled space between its two layers is called the pleural fluid and reduces friction between the two layers (source 1)

8. Alveoli - They are tiny air sacs ( one cell thick) that are attached to the branches of the bronchial passages--> this is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place (source 1) -Oxygen from the inhaled air diffuses through the walls of the alveoli and adjacent capillaries into the red blood cells--> then the red blood cells carry the oxygen to the cells that need it (source 4) - This process is called gas exchange

9. Alveolar Structure Alveoli have a structure that makes for efficient gas exchange (source 4): • Thin walls • Large surface area in relation to volume increases the rate of diffusion • Fluid-lined enabling gases to dissolve • Surrounded by numerous capillaries

10. The Main Components of Blood The four components of blood are: - red blood cells - white blood cells -platelets -plasma

11. Red Blood Cells What are they? - Red blood cells are large microscopic cells without nuclei. - They are similar to the prokaryotic cells of bacteria. - Red cells normally make up 40-50% of the total blood volume. - The red blood cells are produced continuously in our bone marrow from stem cells at a rate of about 2-3 million cells per second. - They transport oxygen from the lungs to all of the living tissues of the body and carry away carbon dioxide. (Source 5)

12. White Blood Cell What are they? - White blood cells exist in different numbers and types but make up a very small part of blood's volume - normally only about 1% in healthy people. - Most are produced in our bone marrow from the same kind of stem cells that produce red blood cells. - Some white cells (called lymphocytes ) are the first responders for our immune system. They seek out, identify, and bind to alien protein on bacteria, viruses, and fungi so that they can be removed. -Other white cells (called granulocytes and macrophages ) then arrive to surround and destroy the alien cells. They also have the function of getting rid of dead or dying blood cells as well as foreign matter such as dust and asbestos. (Source 5)

13. Platelets What are they? -Platelets are cell fragments without nuclei that work with blood clotting chemicals at the site of wounds. - They do this by sticking to the walls of blood vessels, and plugging the rupture in the vascular wall. -They also can release coagulating chemicals which cause clots to form in the blood that can plug up narrowed blood vessels. -Platelets are thought to play a role in a variety of inflammatory conditions in the lung, some of which may lead to fibrosis. (Source 5)

14. Plasma What are they? - Makes up about about 55% of all of blood is plasma, which is a fluid that is the blood's liquid medium (source 5) -Plasma circulates dissolved nutrients, such as, glucose, amino acids and fatty acids (dissolved in the blood or bound to plasma proteins), and removes waste products, such as, carbon dioxide, urea and lactic acid. -plasma contains some of every protein produced by the body

15. How are the components of blood related to gas exchange, and transport of gases? Respiratory and Circulatory System Every time a human inhales, air fills a large portion of the millions of alveoli in the respiratory system, which is where the most gas exchange takes place in the body (source 5). Oxygen moves from the alveoli to the blood through the capillaries lining the alveolar walls through diffusion. Once in the bloodstream, oxygen gets picked up by the hemoglobin in red blood cells. This oxygen rich blood flows back to the heart, which pumps it through throughout the body. In capillaries of the body tissues, oxygen is freed from the hemoglobin and moves into the cells. Carbon dioxide, which is produced during the process of diffusion, moves out of these cells into the capillaries, where most of it is dissolved in the plasma of the blood. Blood rich in carbon dioxide then returns to the heart via the veins. From the heart, this blood is pumped to the lungs, where carbon dioxide passes into the alveoli to be exhaled.

16. Gas Exchange in the Lungs

17. Gas exchange continued… *During gas exchange, gases move from higher to lower partial pressure. *The principles of diffusion largely govern the movement of gases in and out of the blood vessels, in the lungs, and in the tissues. The pressure exerted by the gases determines the gradient for diffusion as oxygen will diffuse from high concentration to low concentration as in the case of alveoli to pulmonary capillaries. When the blood reaches the tissues, they have a higher partial pressure of carbon dioxide and a lower partial pressure of oxygen than the blood entering the tissue. This causes the exchange of gases. (Source 4)

18. Reference Source 1:"Human Respiratory System." Biology- the Unity and Diversity of Life. Ninth ed. Pacific Grove: Thomson Learning, 2001. 714-20. Print. Source 2: "What Are the Lungs?" National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health//dci/Diseases/hlw/ hlw_all.html>. Source 3: "Anatomy and Function of the Normal Lung." American Thoracic Society. American Thoracic Society, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. <http://www.thoracic.org/ clinical/copd-guidelines/for-patients/ anatomy-and-function-of-the-normal-lung.php>. Source 4: "Structure and Function of the Alveoli." Curoservice. Chiesi, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.curoservice.com/parents_visitors/lungs_circulation/structure_alveoli.asp>. Source 5: "Circulatory and Respiratory Systems." Regents Prep. Oswego City School District, Dec. 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/biology/2011%20Web%20Pages/Human%20Body-%20Circulatory%20and%20Respiratory%20page.htm>. "Partial Pressure Gradient." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.noodletools.com/noodlebib/cite.php?ADD=Web%20Site>.