Notes

/Respiratory System
~All animals, and plants have a respiratory system to bring in oxygen (O2) and remove carbon dioxide (CO2).(Breathing)
~The cells in most organisms can only survive for a few minutes without fresh oxygen
~ respiratory system brings oxygen into organisms
~All reptiles, all mammals and some amphibians use lungs to breathe
~Some animals use gills for breathing, and some absorb oxygen through skin
~When you inhale, a muscle in your chest called the diaphragm moves downward
~ This air comes in through your nose and mouth, moves down through the pharynx to the windpipe (also called the trachea), and then moves into the two bronchi. The bronchi are tubes through which air enters the lungs. The bronchi branch into smaller bronchioles, which eventually lead to many tiny air sacs called alveoli. Each one of the alveoli is a tiny sac where O2 from inhaled air passes out into the bloodstream. Roll over the numbers on the illustration of the respiratory system to see what the different parts do.
~The wall of each of the alveoli is the thickness of one cell. Wrapped around the alveoli are tiny blood vessels called capillaries
~Asthma is another disorder that can weaken the respiratory system