- What is the name of the waste gas that is released during exhalation?
- If a disease caused the alveoli to collapse, how might this affect a person’s health?
Further Reading / Supplemental Links
Vocabulary
alveoli Little ”sacs” at the end of the bronchioles where most of the gas exchange occurs.
diaphragm A sheet of muscle that extends across the bottom of the rib cage. When the
diaphragm contracts the chest volume gets larger and the lungs take in air; when the
diaphragm relaxes, the chest volume gets smaller and air is pushed out of the lungs.
epiglottis A flap of connective tissue that closes over the trachea when food is swallowed
to prevent choking or inhaling food.
exhalation Pushing air out of the body through the nose or mouth.
external respiration The movement of oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out of
the body.
gas exchange The movement of oxygen across a membrane and into the blood and the
movement of carbon dioxide out of the blood.
inhalation Taking air into the body through the nose and mouth.
internal respiration The exchange of gases between the blood and the cells of the body.
larynx Found just below the point at which the pharynx splits into the trachea and the
esophagus. Your voice comes from your larynx; air from the lungs passes across thin
membranes in the larynx and produces sound; also called the voicebox.
pharynx A long tube that is shared with the digestive system; both food and air pass
through the pharynx.
respiration The process of getting oxygen into the body and releasing carbon dioxide.
trachea A long tube that leads down to the chest where it divides into the right and left
bronchi in the lungs; also called the windpipe.