Question

How does a mammal VENTILATE (get respiratory medium in and out of body)?

Please explain thoroughly

Answer 1

The ventilation in the mammals is done by lungs. Lungs are the chief organ in mammalian respiration and are actively ventilated via a suction-pump mechanism of inhalation and exhalation. Breathing is majorly dependent upon the rib muscles and the diaphragm, a structure shaped like a dome-shaped floor just beneath the lungs.

Inhalation happens when the rib cage opens up and the diaphragm flattens and moves downward. The lungs expand into the larger space, causing the air pressure inside to decrease. The drop in air pressure inside the lung makes the outside air to enter into the lungs. Whereas Exhalation is the opposite process. The diaphragm and the rib muscles relax to their neutral state, causing the lungs to contract. The squeezing of the lungs increases the air pressure and forces the air to expel out.

Most of the mammals Inhales through the nose which warms and moistens the air. The air is filtered by cilia and mucus membranes, which trap dust and pathogens. Air then reaches the epiglottis, the tiny leaf-shaped flap at the back of the throat. The epiglottis regulates air going into the windpipe and closes upon swallowing to prevent food from entering into the lungs.

The trachea is a long structure of soft tissue surrounded by c-shaped rings of cartilage. In humans, the trachea splits into two bronchi branches which entered into each lung. Each bronchi divides into many smaller branches called bronchioles and each bronchiole ends with a tiny air sac called an alveolus which increases the surface area used for gases exchange.