Functions of the Respiratory System 1 Moves oxygen

Functions of the Respiratory System � 1) Moves oxygen from the outside environment into the body, � 2) Removes carbon dioxide and water from the body. This is a cartoony image of your lungs, the main organs of the respiratory system!

Why the Body Needs Oxygen �Your body needs oxygen to keep you alive, right? But why? �Oxygen is a key player in respiration. �Respiration is not breathing! �Respiration is the process in which oxygen and glucose undergo a complex series of chemical reactions inside cells. �This process of respiration is how your body creates energy for itself! Pretty cool, huh?

Did You Know? �The air you are breathing in right now is made of a mixture of gases. �Only about 21% of the air is oxygen. � 78% is nitrogen. �What percentage are we up to? �The remaining 1% is made up of carbon dioxide, helium, and various other gases.

Path of Air

Path of Air �Luckily, your respiratory system is equipped with tools so that less of that stuff gets in your lungs. �As air travels from the outside environment to the lungs, it passes through the following organs : nose, pharynx, trachea, and bronchi. �It only takes a few seconds!

Nose Functions �Heats the air you breathe in. �Produces mucus that traps dust and bacteria. �Contains cilia (hairs) that sweep the mucus into the throat �Causes you to sneeze so that dust particles and bacteria leave the body.

Pharynx (FAR ingks) �Known as your throat �Shared with the digestive system �Both nose and mouth connect at the pharynx.

Trachea (TRAY kee uh) �Known as your windpipe. �Made of thick rings of cartilage that remain firm to strengthen the trachea and keep it open. �Why do you think it’s not squishy like the esophagus? �Also lined with cilia and mucus �Allows you to cough if there are dust or bacteria irritating your windpipe.

Bronchi & Lungs �Bronchi are the two main branches that lead to the lungs �Bronchitis sound familiar? �Each bronchus leads into a lung where it branches out into smaller and smaller branches. �At the ends of the smallest tubes are bundles of “grapes” called alveoli. �Alveoli are tiny sacs of lung tissue specialized for the movement of gases between air and blood.

Gas Exchange �After air enters the alveoli, oxygen passes through the wall of the alveoli and through the wall of a tiny blood vessel. Carbon dioxide and water pass from the blood into the alveoli.

Diaphragm �A large dome-shaped muscle that plays an important role in breathing located at the base of the lungs. �When you breathe in, the diaphragm moves down. �When you breathe out, the diaphragm moves up.

Larynx (LAR ingks) �Known as the voice box at the top of your trachea. �Holds your vocal chords which produce your voice. �Think of the way a balloon squeaks when you let air through the neck. That’s kind of how your vocal chords work. �Muscles makes your vocal chords contract and the movement makes the air molecules vibrate and create a sound!