Question

1.Describe the pathway that air takes from the external environment to the alveoli during inspiration.

2. Describe the concept of a mucociliary escalator. where is the system found, and what adverse effects would occur if it was not present?

3. how is the opening of the trachea protected during swallowing

4. Describe the difference between external inspiration and internal inspiration

5.what is surface tension? why is surface tension potentially dangerous at the surface of alveoli? what reduces alveolar surface tension?

6. Describe the 2 phases of ventilation: inspiration and expiration. make sure to include activity of muscles involved, the pressure and volume of the lungs during each phase , and sources of neural control for these processes.

7. while preparing for a big presentation this morning, carol became increasingly nervous and began having a panic attack, causing her hyperventilate. what chemical imbalances in the blood might result from hyperventilation? what can be done to regain chemical homeostasis in the blood?

Answer 1

1) Pathway of external air to alveoli:

The entry of external air to the alveoli in the respiratory system begins with nose. The nose has a entry point to inhale external air and filter the dust and mositened it by the hairs and cilia in the nostril. Then the air enter into the pharynx. From pharynx there is larynx which opens the epiglottis during breathing and below larynx there is a windpipe known as trachea which is located behind the sternal bone. From the trachea there is division of bronchi into two for each lung. This is further divided into secondary bronchi and tertiary bronchi in where the air passes. The tertiary bronchi is further divided finely as bronchioles and the air the passes. At the end of bronchioles there is an alveoli in which the passage of external air with O2 rich ends. This alveoli part is encovered by the vessels knowns as pulmonary arteries and veins which is useful for the gaseous exchange.

Pathway in flowchart: