Nose
- The primary organ through which air passes into the respiratory tract, the nose is lined with mucus and cilia which filter the air of bacteria and other particulates before it enters the Trachea.
- The nose also humidifies and warms the air before it enters the windpipe.
Epiglottis
- a flap of tissue that is open by default, but during ingestion closes over the larynx to prevent food from entering the respiratory system.
Larynx
- located under the Pharynx and epiglottis, the larynx is a pathway for air to go to the lungs, and is the organ that creates sound. it is commonly called the voice box.
Trachea
- transports air from the larynx to the lungs.
Pharynx
- Located behind the oral and nasal cavities, the pharynx allows transport of air from the mouth and nose to the larynx.
Bronchi
- the Trachea splits into two bronchi, one for each lung.
- the bronchi split into smaller and smaller tubes that eventually end in single celled air sacs called alveoli, which are where respiration actually takes place.
Lungs
- large air filled sacs that fill up most of the chest cavity, and are designed to have a large surface area to extract oxygen from the air.
- they house the bronchi, and therefore the alveoli, and they have lots of capillary arteries clustered around alveolar sacs to collect oxygen.
Diaphragm
- a large, flat muscle under the lungs that tenses to pull down, which fills the lungs with air, and relaxes to push the air back out of the lungs. this muscle powers inhalation and exhalation.