The Respiratory System

This is where respiration takes place and respiration includes breathing, external respiration, internal respiration, and cellular respiration.

This is composed of the upper and lower respiratory tracts

Upper respiratory tracts are the nose and pharynx and these two places filters, warms, and humidifies the air that will go to the lungs.

The lower respiratory tract include the larynx, trachea, main bronchi, and the lungs and within the lungs, bronchi branch many times becoming smaller airways called bronchioles that end in air filled sacs called aveoli.

The surface area of the alveoli coupled with the thickness of the respiratory membrane, facilitate gas exchange with the pulmonary capillaries.

Reference:

Johnson, M. D. (2010). Human Biology: Concepts and Current Issues (5th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Education.