Airway Anatomy
This structure is commonly called the “windpipe.”
What is the trachea?
This muscle contracts downward during inhalation.
What is the diaphragm?
This chemical diffuses from the alveoli into the blood.
What is oxygen?
These tiny hair-like structures sweep mucus upward out of the airway.
What are cilia?
This structure makes up most of the volume within the lung.
What are alveoli?
This flap prevents food from entering the airway when you swallow.
What is the epiglottis?
When lung volume increases, pressure does this.
What is decreases?
This odorless, colorless gas which binds preferentially with the same binding site on hemoglobin as oxygen.
What is carbon monoxide?
This sticky substance traps dust, pollen, and germs in the airways.
What is mucus?
This side’s primary bronchus is more likely to trap inhaled objects.
What is the right bronchus?
These tiny air sacs are the main site of gas exchange.
What are alveoli?
These muscles help with forced expiration.
What are the abdominal muscles and internal intercostals?
This substance prevents alveoli from collapsing due to surface tension.
What is surfactant?
These immune structures in the throat help trap pathogens.
What are tonsils?
Smokers often cough because smoking damages these structures that normally clear mucus.
What are cilia?
This structure divides the nasal cavity into the right and left sides.
What is the nasal septum?
The______ routes air and food into their proper channels and plays a role in speech.
What is the larynx?
This process describes gas exchange between the lungs and blood.
What is external respiration?
These cells in the alveoli engulf bacteria and debris.
What are macrophages?
This part of the brain automatically controls breathing rate and depth.
What are medulla and pons?
The three regions of the pharynx from top to bottom are these.
What are the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx?
Describes how most carbon dioxide is transported from the body tissue cells to the lungs to be exhaled.
What is a bicarbonate ion in the blood plasma
The amount of air still left in the lungs after you try to forcefully blow it all out.
What is residual volume?
Breathing through your nose helps because it does this to the air.
What is filters air?
The size of the total surface area available for gas exchange within the average human lungs.
What is half the size of a tennis court?