Respiratory, Circulatory, and Excretory RQ

1. Through which structures in the respiratory system does gas exchange ACTUALLY occur?

2. Which part of your brain is in charge of breathing?

3. What is on your blood cells (possibly) that could trigger an immune response?

4. Which side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs?

5. How many nephrons does each kidney have?

Random facts…A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60 mph A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph.By the time you turn 70, your heart will have beat some two-and-a-half billion times (figuring on an average of 70 beats per minute.)According to German researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.An individual blood cell takes about 60 seconds to make a complete circuit of the body.An average person urinates 6 times per day (about 2 liters total) Each square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels.

1. Overview what makes up the respiratory system.

A pair of lungsA series of passageways into the bodyThe diaphragm – a thin sheet of muscle underneath the lungs

2. Describe the path that air takes.

1. Inhale air through the nose or mouth

2. Air flows into the pharynx and past the epiglottis

3. It travels down the trachea, which leads to two bronchi, which lead to each lung

3. How does your body try to prevent dirty

air from getting to your lungs?

Estimated that we breathe in 20 million particles of foreign matter each dayThe nasal cavity, trachea, and bronchi are all lined with mucus-secreting cells that capture these particles

4. At what point in the respiratory system does gas exchange occur?

Alveoli are thin-walled sacs surrounded by capillaries – diffusion of O2 and CO2 happens hereThis is where the circulatory system and the respiratory system meet

5. How does the oxygen get from your

lungs to the rest of your body?

Once O2 has diffused across the capillaries, the oxygenated blood is pumped by the heart to the body cells, where it is used for cellular respirationCO2 is the waste product of cell respiration, and it is diffused into the blood and taken back to the lungs for oxygen

6. Describe the action of taking a breath.

What maintains your breathing rate?

The diaphragm under your lungs forces air in and outThe alveoli are like little balloons, increasing and decreasing with each breathBreathing is an involuntary processThe medulla oblongata responds to levels of CO2 in the blood

7. Describe the plasma part of your blood.

Plasma – the fluid portion of bloodStraw-coloredMakes up 55% of total blood volumeRed and white blood cells are suspended in this matrix

8. Describe the structure and function of red blood cells.

How is oxygen carried on these cells?

Red blood cell – round, disk-shaped cell- make up 44% of total blood volume- produced in the red bone marrow of ribs, humerus, femur, and sternum- have no nucleusHemoglobin – tiny molecules that coat each RBC and bind to O2 & CO2

9. How does your body get rid of the carbon dioxide waste?

Cells produce CO2 as waste during cell respiration

This CO2 diffuses into the blood

70% combines with water to become bicarbonateThe other 30% travels back to the lungs attached to hemoglobin or dissolved in plasma

10. What do white blood cells and platelets do?

WBCs protect body from foreign substances- make up 1% of the total volumePlatelets cell fragments that help blood clot after an injury- remain in blood about 1 week- help link together fibrin, the fabric that makes up a scab

11. List the human blood types. Why is it important to know a person’s

blood type?

A, B, AB, and OImportant because:

If a blood transfusion is necessary, the blood types can work against each other and clot in the blood vessels, causing death

Blood type antigens & antibodies

12. Distinguish between “antigens” and “antibodies”. How do these function in

determining blood groups?

Antigens substances that stimulate an immune response in the body- the letters A and B stand for the types of blood surface antigensAntibodies proteins that are shaped to correspond with the different blood antigens- if antibody & antigen meet and match, they will clump in the blood

13. What is the “Rh factor” and why can it be a problem?

The Rhesus factor – “Rh”- presence (+), absence (-) of this antigen on the RBCCan cause problems in pregnancy- if an Rh- mom with Rh+ baby- mom develops antibodies- if pregnant again with an Rh+ baby, the antibodies will kill baby RBCs- treatment: mom given substance that gets rid of the Rh+ antibodies

14. Distinguish among arteries, capillaries, and

veins. What path does the blood take?

Arteries: thick muscular vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from heartVeins: large vessels with valves to prevent backflow; carry deoxygenated blood back to the heartCapillaries: microscopic blood vessels one cell-layer thick- these allow diffusion of nutrients and oxygen into surrounding body cellsBlood flows from the heart, to arteries, to capillaries, to veins, and back to the heart

15. Describe the structure of the heart and the

path that blood takes through it.

Four-chambered heart: 2 atria & 2 ventriclesBlood enters the heart through the atria and leaves through the ventricles- right atrium: receives oxygen-poor blood from the venae cavae - right ventricle: pushes oxygen-poor blood to the lungs- left atrium: receives oxygen-rich blood from the 4 pulmonary veins- left ventricle: pushes oxygen-rich blood out of the heart through the aorta

16. How is your heartbeat regulated?

How is it controlled?

The surge of blood through an artery is called the “pulse”The heart rate is set by the pacemaker, which is a bundle of nerves on top of the right atriumThe impulse signals the atria and ventricles to contract The medulla oblongata regulates the pacemaker

17. What is blood pressure, and when and why does it change?

Blood pressure is the force that the blood exerts on the blood vessels

It rises sharply when the ventricles contract (called systolic pressure)It drops dramatically when the ventricles relax (called diastolic pressure)

18. Overview the urinary system and identify the location and function of each part.

Made up of:Two kidneys just above the waist, filters bloodA pair of ureters tube connected to the kidneys, drain to the bladderOne urinary bladder smooth muscle bag that stores urineOne urethra expels urine from the body

19. Describe how the kidneys work to filter blood waste.

Each kidney is made up of about 1 million nephrons, the filters of the blood

1. Blood enters the nephron at a high pressure2. It goes to the glomerulus, a bed of capillaries,

and all nutrients and wastes pass into the Bowman’s capsule

3. Most ions, water, and nutrients are reabsorbed into the bloodstream

4. Wastes are held back to be expelled

20. What is urine, and how does it go

from the kidneys out of your body?

Urine excess water, waste molecules, and excess ions from the bloodYou produce about 2 liters per day (depending on how much liquid you drink)The waste flows out of your kidneys, into the ureters, to the bladder, and out through the urethra

21. How does the urinary system help

your body maintain homeostasis?

Most waste products are ammonia and urea and come from the breakdown of proteins in the cellsThese are toxic compounds and need to be removed regularlySalt levels and the pH of the blood are also governed by the kidneysGlucose (sugar) in urine indicates diabetes