Respiratory System
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the intricacies of the human respiratory system, highlighting its role in gas exchange alongside the circulatory system. It details the journey of air from the nasal cavity through the trachea to the bronchi and bronchioles, culminating in the alveoli where oxygen is absorbed and carbon dioxide is expelled. The script also touches on the skeletal and muscular systems' support for respiration, the nervous system's regulation of breathing via pH balance, and the importance of surfactant in preventing alveolar collapse, especially in premature infants.
Takeaways
- 😃 The human respiratory system is essential for the exchange of gases, taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide.
- 🔍 It's important not to confuse the respiratory system with cellular respiration, which is a separate process involving cells making ATP and producing carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
- 👃 Inhalation begins in the nasal cavity where air is warmed, humidified, and filtered by mucus and cilia.
- 🗣 The pharynx is a junction for both food and air, and the epiglottis prevents food from entering the trachea.
- 🌀 The trachea is a cartilage-supported tube that leads to the bronchi, which further divide into smaller airways within the lungs.
- 🍇 The alveoli, found within alveolar sacs, are the site of gas exchange due to their thin walls, large surface area, and proximity to capillaries.
- 🩺 The circulatory system works closely with the respiratory system, with red blood cells in capillaries picking up oxygen and dropping off carbon dioxide.
- 🦴 The skeletal system, particularly the ribs, protects the lungs, while the muscular system, including the intercostal and diaphragm muscles, aids in breathing.
- 💭 Breathing is mostly involuntary and regulated by the nervous system, which uses pH levels in the blood as a signal to adjust the breathing rate and depth.
- 🌱 Earthworms, fish, and insects have different respiratory systems adapted to their environments, such as skin respiration, gills, and tracheal systems.
- 👩⚕️ Careers in respiratory health, such as pulmonologists and respiratory therapists, focus on treating conditions like asthma, emphysema, and aiding premature babies with underdeveloped lungs.
Q & A
What is the primary function of the human respiratory system?
-The primary function of the human respiratory system is to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, facilitating gas exchange which is essential for cellular respiration and the production of ATP.
How does the respiratory system differ from cellular respiration?
-The respiratory system is responsible for the intake of oxygen and expulsion of carbon dioxide at the organism level, whereas cellular respiration is the process by which cells use oxygen to produce ATP and generate carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
What happens to the air as it passes through the nasal cavity?
-As air passes through the nasal cavity, it is warmed, humidified, and filtered by mucus and hairs, including nasal hairs and microscopic cilia.
Why is the epiglottis important in the respiratory process?
-The epiglottis is important because it prevents food from entering the trachea, ensuring that food travels down the esophagus instead, thus avoiding choking.
Describe the structure of the trachea and its function.
-The trachea is a cylinder tube with rings of cartilage that support its structure and keep it open, allowing air to travel through to the bronchi.
How many lobes does each lung have and are there any differences between the two lungs?
-Each lung is divided into lobes; the right lung has three lobes, and the left lung has two lobes. The left lung is generally smaller and has a cardiac notch to accommodate the heart.
What is the role of bronchioles in the respiratory system?
-Bronchioles are smaller airways that branch from the tertiary bronchi. They lead to respiratory bronchioles and then to alveolar ducts, which are surrounded by alveolar sacs where gas exchange occurs.
Why are alveoli important for gas exchange?
-Alveoli are important for gas exchange because they have thin walls, a large surface area, and are in direct contact with capillaries, allowing for efficient oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange.
Which body systems work closely with the respiratory system during respiration?
-The circulatory system, skeletal system, and muscular system all work closely with the respiratory system. The circulatory system transports gases, the skeletal system protects the lungs, and the muscular system aids in the expansion and contraction of the thoracic cavity.
How does the nervous system regulate breathing?
-The nervous system regulates breathing by monitoring the pH levels in the blood. An increase in carbon dioxide concentration leads to a decrease in blood pH, triggering signals to the brain to adjust the breathing rate and depth.
What is surfactant and why is it important for the alveoli?
-Surfactant is a substance produced by type 2 alveolar cells that contains phospholipids and proteins. It reduces surface tension within the alveoli, preventing them from collapsing and facilitating efficient gas exchange.
How can a lack of surfactant affect premature infants?
-A lack of surfactant in premature infants can make it difficult for alveoli to inflate properly, leading to respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Artificial surfactants can be used to treat this condition and save lives.
Outlines
🌬️ The Human Respiratory System Overview
This paragraph introduces the human respiratory system, emphasizing its role in gas exchange and distinguishing it from cellular respiration. It explains the necessity of oxygen for ATP production and the removal of carbon dioxide, a byproduct. The respiratory system's function is to facilitate the intake of oxygen and expulsion of carbon dioxide, working in conjunction with the circulatory system. The paragraph describes the path of air through the respiratory tract, from the nasal cavity to the bronchioles, and highlights the structure of the lungs, including lobes and the cardiac notch. It also introduces the concept of alveoli as the site of gas exchange due to their thin walls, large surface area, and proximity to capillaries. The involvement of other body systems, such as the circulatory, skeletal, and muscular systems, is also mentioned, with a focus on the role of muscles in expanding and contracting the thoracic cavity for breathing. The paragraph concludes by noting the involuntary nature of breathing, regulated by the nervous system, which uses pH levels to control the rate and depth of breathing to maintain homeostasis.
🌿 Comparative Respiration and Respiratory Health
The second paragraph expands on the respiratory system by comparing it to other species' gas exchange methods, such as earthworms' skin, fish gills, and insects' tracheal systems. It then transitions to the importance of understanding the respiratory system for treating respiratory illnesses and introduces careers related to respiratory health, such as pulmonologists and respiratory therapists. The paragraph also discusses specific respiratory conditions like asthma, emphysema, and the challenges faced by premature babies with underdeveloped lungs, such as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). It explains the role of surfactant in preventing alveolar collapse and how artificial surfactants have been used to treat RDS in premature infants, saving many lives. The paragraph concludes by encouraging curiosity about the respiratory system and its complexities.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Respiratory System
💡Cellular Respiration
💡Alveoli
💡Circulatory System
💡Gas Exchange
💡Homeostasis
💡pH Scale
💡Diaphragm
💡Intercostal Muscles
💡Surfactant
💡Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)
Highlights
The human respiratory system facilitates the exchange of gases, essential for cellular respiration.
Cellular respiration requires oxygen to produce ATP and expels carbon dioxide, a waste gas.
The respiratory system works in tandem with the circulatory system to transport oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
Air is warmed, humidified, and filtered as it passes through the nasal cavity.
The pharynx serves as a junction for both food and air, with the epiglottis preventing food from entering the trachea.
The trachea is supported by cartilage rings, allowing unobstructed airflow.
Lungs are divided into lobes, with the left lung being smaller and having a cardiac notch.
The bronchial tree branches from primary to tertiary bronchi and then to bronchioles within the lungs.
Gas exchange occurs in alveoli, which are surrounded by alveolar sacs and have a large surface area for efficient diffusion.
The circulatory system collaborates with the respiratory system, with red blood cells transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide.
The skeletal system, particularly the ribs, protects the lungs, while the muscular system assists in breathing through various muscles.
Breathing is mostly involuntary and regulated by the nervous system using pH levels as a signal.
An increase in carbon dioxide concentration leads to a slight decrease in blood pH, triggering a response to restore homeostasis.
The respiratory system's efficiency is crucial during exercise, demonstrating the body's ability to adapt to increased oxygen demands.
Other organisms, such as earthworms, fish, and insects, have unique respiratory systems adapted to their environments.
Understanding the respiratory system aids in the treatment of respiratory illnesses and conditions like asthma and emphysema.
Surfactant, produced by type 2 alveolar cells, reduces surface tension in alveoli, preventing collapse and facilitating gas exchange.
Premature babies may lack surfactant, leading to respiratory distress syndrome, but artificial surfactants can be life-saving treatments.
Transcripts
Captions are on!
Take a deep breath. And let it out. Isn’t it remarkable? The human respiratory system,
I mean. The system that lets us do that – an exchange of gases.
Now don’t confuse the respiratory system with cellular respiration. If you watched our cellular
respiration video, you learned about why our cells need oxygen. Your cells need oxygen to make ATP,
an energy currency, and the gas byproduct produced is carbon dioxide which the body
must remove. This is part of the equation in aerobic cellular respiration done by your cells.
But your respiratory system which takes in the oxygen and expels the carbon dioxide – working
closely with the circulatory system and other systems to do so – is how we get that oxygen
into human body in the first place. And that oxygen will be needed for cellular respiration.
So you inhale. Air passes through your nasal cavity. The air is warmed, humidified,
and filtered. This involves mucus and hairs. Nasal hairs that you can see and then microscopic cilia
which are similar to hair-like structures. Now, we come to the pharynx. A junction if you will
of both food and air. From the pharynx, we go through the larynx (often called the voice box).
Then the trachea. By the way, food should be traveling down the esophagus not the trachea.
We mention in our digestive system video that an epiglottis keeps food from going down the trachea.
The trachea is a pretty fascinating cylinder tube with rings of cartilage. That cartilage helps
support the trachea and keep it open for that air to travel through. The trachea goes down, down,
down to the primary bronchi. One on each side as this branches to the lungs. Just to mention
a bit about the lungs. There are two. Each lung has sections called lobes. Three lobes
on the right and two on the left. There’s a cardiac notch on the left lung side where it's
a little indention to give the heart some room. The left lung is generally smaller than the right.
Now our main focus is going to be what’s happening inside the lungs so let’s continue to go through
the primary bronchi. Primary bronchi divide into secondary bronchi then tertiary bronchi and then
smaller bronchioles. And, you know, it kind of looks like an upside down tree. I like trees.
So a general recap of where we’ve gone: nasal cavity -> pharynx -> larynx trachea primary
bronchi secondary bronchi tertiary bronchi bronchioles.
Diameter is getting smaller as you go through these different areas.
Beyond the terminal bronchioles, there will be branching into respiratory bronchioles
and then on to alveolar ducts. Each alveolar duct is surrounded by alveolar sacs. Alveolar
sacs look a lot like…a bunch of grapes. I’m not the only one to think that. Each of these
alveolar sacs contain alveoli and this is where the gas exchange will actually occur.
That’s because these alveoli are made of thin walled cells, have a lot of surface area, and they
have direct contact with capillaries. We mentioned that other body systems work closely together:
the circulatory system works closely with the respiratory system here. Red blood cells in
the capillaries can pick up the oxygen that was inhaled to deliver it throughout the body and
also bring carbon dioxide -a waste gas that needs to be removed- so that it can be exhaled.
Besides the circulatory system, there are other body systems working with this respiratory system.
The skeletal system includes the ribs that protect the lungs like a cage around them.
But muscles of the muscular system are involved too. Muscles involved in respiration includes
muscles between your ribs called intercostal muscles. It includes a major muscle under
your lungs called the diaphragm. It includes abdominal wall muscles. All of these are part of
the muscular system – and they are involved with helping to expand or contract the thoracic cavity.
While you can take voluntary control of your breathing,
you’ll notice that most of the time your breathing is involuntary:
that is, you aren’t consciously controlling it. The nervous system regulates this, and here’s
something pretty cool: it uses pH to do so. The pH scale is based on hydrogen ion concentration
(H+). Acidic substances – shown here as lower numbers on this pH scale - have a higher
H+ concentration compared to bases - which have a lower H+ concentration. Ultimately, the increase
of carbon dioxide concentration in the blood increases the concentration of H+. If you want
to learn more about how that happens – fascinating chemistry- check out our further reading links.
So as the carbon dioxide concentration increases in the blood, the blood pH falls
slightly lower on the pH scale – it is becoming more acidic. The increasing acidity is detected
and sent as signals to the brain. The brain can then control the intercostal muscles,
diaphragm, and abdominal muscles in order to increase the rate and depth of breathing. This can
restore the blood to a normal blood pH and keep the blood pH stable. Around 7.4. Great example of
keeping homeostasis. Just think about when you’re exercising and how amazing it is to have such a
fine-tuned system so your breathing rate and depth can increase as needed. And while we’re really
trying to give general examples to emphasize that body systems don’t work in isolation,
keep in mind that there are other systems involved with the respiratory system to explore.
Before we go, there are 2 final notes I want to mention. First, we want to remind you we
focused on humans. But obviously it’s not just humans that have gas exchange.
Earthworms actually have gas exchange through their skin. Fish can use gills for gases to
diffuse, insects can have a tracheal system which means they can have little openings on
their body- called spiracles – that connect to little tubes inside. It’s fascinating to
learn about all these different systems for getting oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.
Second, understanding how the respiratory system works can help us understand
treatments for respiratory illnesses or respiratory problems that may arise.
There are many careers that focus specifically on the respiratory system – two examples include
pulmonologists and respiratory therapists. They may be involved in the treatment of respiratory
conditions like asthma or emphysema, and, an example I’d like to end with: they might be
involved in the treatment for premature babies that might not have fully developed lungs.
So to expand on this: remember we were talking about the alveoli – we mentioned alveoli have a
large surface area? Ideal for gases to diffuse. But without something called surfactant inside
them, alveoli can be prone to collapse due to the surface tension of water inside the alveoli.
Surface tension being a great thing to review in our properties of water video. So, type 2 alveolar
cells makes surfactant, a substance that includes phospholipids and proteins. Surfactant interferes
with the bonding of water which contributes to lowering the surface tension, making it easier
for alveoli to inflate. But sometimes, babies that are premature may not yet have enough surfactant
in their lungs. This can make it difficult for the alveoli to inflate properly; it can
cause collapse. This can result in respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). But now…due to better
understanding of this, artificial surfactants can be used to treat premature infants and it’s
saved the lives of many. Well, that’s it for the Amoeba Sisters, and we remind you to stay curious.
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