resp system structures

nasal cavity

hollow space inside the nose where air first enters the body gets warmed moistened and filtered before moving further into the respiratory tract

paranasal sinuses

air filled cavities in the bones around the nose that lighten the skull and help with sound resonance lined with mucous membranes that produce mucus

pharynx

the throat where both air and food pass through air moves toward the larynx and food moves toward the esophagus

larynx

the voice box containing the vocal cords where sound is produced combining form

epiglottis

lidlike flap that covers the larynx during swallowing to prevent food from entering the airway combining form

glottis

the vocal apparatus of the larynx consisting of the vocal cords and the opening between them responsible for sound production

trachea

the windpipe that carries air from the larynx down to the bronchi made of C shaped cartilage rings combining form

bronchi

the two large tubes that branch off the trachea and lead into each lung right bronchus to right lung left bronchus to left lung combining form

bronchioles

the smaller tubes that branch off the bronchi inside the lungs getting smaller and smaller until they reach the alveoli combining form

alveoli

tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide is removed combining form

pleura

the membrane that surrounds each lung and lines the chest cavity filled with fluid to reduce friction during breathing combining form

diaphragm

the dome shaped muscular wall separating the chest from the abdomen that powers breathing contracts to inhale relaxes to exhale