Exercise 35: Structure of the Respiratory System

What is the common name for the external nares?

nostrils

The nasal cartilages are made of hyaline cartilage. What functional adaptation does cartilage have over bone in making up the external framework of the nose?

Cartilage gives the nose it’s shape and flexibility. bone is strong and can break

Three structures make up the nasal septum. What are they?

perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone, the vomer, and the nasal cartilage

What is the function of respiratory epithelium and the superficial blood vessels in the nasal cavity? 

warm and moisten air that enters the nasal cavity/lungs 

What is the name of the large cartilage of the anterior larynx?**

thyroid cartilage

What is the structure that protects the glottis from fluid entering the larynx?**

epiglottis

Which lung has just two lobes in a human?

left lung

What membrane attaches directly to the lungs?

visceral pleura

What if a patient was stabbed in the chest and the wound punctured the chest wall and let air into the pleural cavity. How might this affect breathing? 

It would deflate (collapse) the lungs and decrease pressure, making it hard to breathe 

The trachea branches into two tubes that go to the lungs. What are these tubes called?

Primary bronchi

Where is the tracheobronchial tree located?

the tubular structure from trachea to lungs

What small structure in the lung is the site of gas exchange with the blood capillaries? 

alveoli 

The surface area of the lungs in humans is about 70 square meters. How can this be so if the lungs are located in the small space of the thoracic cavity? What role do alveoli play in the nature of surface area?

There is more in our walls of alveoli and microscope chambers and their really small and circular

Emphysema is a destruction of the alveoli of the lungs. What effect does this have on the surface area of the lungs?

the surface area is reduced, it makes the lungs really baggy