Unit 12: Human Respiratory System
Biology for Grade 8th | By Steviana Amalia Ratih, S.Pd.
Learning Objective
After doing the learning session:
• I can describe how the structure of the human respiratory system
is related to its function (in terms of lung structure).
• I can name the parts of the respiratory system on a diagram.
• I can list, in order, the parts of the respiratory system that air
passes through.
Purpose of the Respiratory System
• The respiratory system is responsible
for supplying the body's cells with
oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.
• It consists of organs and various
parts of your body involved with
breathing – the process in which
your body exchanges oxygen and
carbon dioxide.
Components of the
Respiratory System
Several organs play a
vital role in the
respiratory system.
mouth and nose
trachea
bronchus
lung
diaphragm
1. Mouth and Nose
• Air enters our respiratory systems
either through our noses or our
mouths.
• If oxygen-rich air enters the body
through the nose, it is warmed and
humidified.
• There are tiny hairs all along our
respiratory passageways (cilia) that
filter dust and other particles out of
the air we breathe.
2. Trachea / Windpipe
• The trachea is a tube that enters the
chest and allows air to flow from the
mouth into the bronchi and from there
into the lungs.
• It is kept open by rings of cartilage.
• The trachea also contains cilia that
works to remove dust particles and
germs from the air during inhalation
• Sneezing or coughing is a result of the
cilia working together with mucous
linings to expel the unwanted particles
from your body.
3. Bronchi
• The trachea splits into two air
tubes, called bronchi, that connect
to each of the lungs.
• These tubes divide even further into
smaller bronchi that evolve into
even smaller bronchi, called
bronchioles.
• Bronchioles then end in alveoli that
resemble tiny ‘bags’ of air in the
lungs.
• This network of alveoli, bronchioles
and bronchi is known as the
Bronchial Tree.
4. Lungs
• The lungs are the main organs of
the respiratory system.
• The tiny air bags in the lungs, the
alveoli, are surrounded by small
capillaries where the exchanges of
oxygen and carbon dioxide takes
place.
• The lungs also consist of elastic
tissues that allows them to inflate
(when inhaling) and deflate (when
exhaling) without losing their
shape.
5. Diaphragm
• This dome-shaped muscle below
the lungs enables you to breathe.
• When you inhale, it moves
downwards towards your
abdomen and your lungs fill
with air.
• When you exhale, it relaxes and
moves upwards and forces the
air out of your lungs.
• The diaphragm is the main
muscle used for breathing.
Main Processes in the Respiratory System
Three distinct processes occur in the respiratory system:
Breathing takes place when we take oxygen into the lungs and
Breathing
push carbon dioxide out of the body. Breathing occurs in two
phases:
• Inhalation - drawing air in
• Exhalation - pushing air out
An exchange of gases takes place at two locations by a process
Gaseous called diffusion:
exchange • in the alveoli, oxygen diffuses into the blood from the lungs
and carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood into the lungs.
• at the body tissues oxygen diffuses from the blood into the
cells and carbon dioxide from the cells diffuses into the blood.
Cellular respiration occurs within the mitochondria of cells to release the
chemical energy in food.
Health Issues Involving the
Respiratory System
Asthma caused by allergies that inflame and narrow the airways.
a disease that are mostly caused by smoking or severe
Lung cancer
air pollution.
swelling of the lining of the bronchi due to infection
Bronchitis which causes coughing and that makes it difficult to get
air into their lungs.
an infection in the lungs where the
Pneumonia
alveoli are filled with fluid.
a highly infectious, deadly disease
Tuberculosis caused by the bacteria,
Mycobacterium
