Question

What is respiration? Explain the process of respiration in human beings.

Answer 1

Hint:The lungs are the double membranous respiratory organs of the higher organisms. The space between the two membranes is filled with pleural fluid and is termed as the pleural cavity involved in the expansion and contraction of the lungs.

Complete answer:
To answer this question, we have to first know about respiration. The exchange of gases through inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is termed a respiration process. This exchange of gases is important for the metabolic activities and the chemical processes inside the body. The human respiratory system comprises a group of tissues and organs that are involved in the breathing process. Lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system, so, before knowing the process of respiration lets know some important points about the lungs. Lungs are the spongy pair of organs that are involved in the respiration process. It is located on each side of the chest that is thorax. The windpipe that is named as trachea conducts the inhalation of air inside the lungs through bronchi. The bronchi is divided into smaller branches and become microscopic. The bronchioles consist of microscopic air sacs named as alveoli where the oxygen gets absorbed into the blood and carbon dioxide the waste products travel to the alveoli from the blood this process is termed as exhalation. The alveoli consist of a thin layer in between that is termed as the interstitium that contains the blood vessels and cells supporting the alveoli.

Now, the respiratory process involves organs; nose, larynx, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. The nose consists of the external nostrils that intake the air and the nasal chamber that is lined with mucus and hair involved in the filtration of air and removing dust. The pharynx is the passage behind the nasal chamber that works as the passageway for the air. The epiglottis is a flask shaped structure found that covers the glottis and separates the entry of air to the windpipe and food to the food pipe. The trachea is the long tube found between the mid-thoracic cavity, the bronchi is the division of the trachea into right and left bronchi and which get further divided into small channels called bronchioles as mentioned above. The alveoli are the balloon shaped structure; the end up of the bronchioles and finally the lungs that consists of pleura as mentioned above help in muscle expansion and contraction during breathing.

The oxygen inside the lungs diffuses into the pulmonary capillaries, binds to the haemoglobin and mixes with the bloodstream and the carbon dioxide from the bloodstream diffuses into the alveoli and comes out through exhalation. The oxygen from the bloodstream gets released when it reaches the capillaries, through the capillary walls the oxygen diffuses into the body tissue.

Note:During the inhalation of air the air in the nasal cavity in the presence of some chemicals gets bound to the receptors and activates the nervous system. The stimuli are sent via the brain to the olfactory bulbs.