Corpus: Respiratory system
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Synonyms: Respiratory tract, respiratory apparatus, apparatus respiratorius
English:
Definition[Bearbeiten]
In domestic mammals, the term respiratory tract or respiratory apparatus' refers to the entirety of all organs involved in respiration.
Anatomy[Bearbeiten]
The respiratory tract begins with the external nose (nasus externus) and ends with the alveoli pulmonis (pulmonary alveoli). All individual sections and organs can be divided either anatomically or functionally into two groups:
- anatomically into upper (cranial) and lower (caudal) airways
- Functionally into air-conducting and gas-exchanging airways
Upper airways[Bearbeiten]
The upper airways begin with the external nose and end at the transition from the head organs to the trachea.
- Nose (nasus)
- Nasal cavity (cavum nasi)
- Paranasal sinuses (Sinus paranasales)
- Mouth cavity (cavum oris)
- Pharynx (throat)
Lower respiratory tract[Bearbeiten]
The upper airways merge with the larynx into the lower airways and end at the smallest units of the lungs, the alveoli.
- Larynx (larynx)
- Trachea (windpipe)
- Bronchi principales (main or trunk bronchi)
- Bronchi lobares (lobular bronchi)
- Bronchi segmentales (segmental bronchi)
- Bronchioli (bronchiole)
- Bronchioli terminales (terminal bronchioles)
- Bronchioli respiratorii (respiratory bronchioles)
- Alveoli pulmonis (pulmonary alveoli)
Air-conducting airways[Bearbeiten]
The air-conducting airways consist of the sections that are responsible for conveying the air we breathe to the gas-exchanging structures.
- Nose
- Nasal cavity
- Paranasal sinuses
- Mouth cavity
- Pharynx
- Larynx
- Trachea
- Bronchi principales
- Bronchi lobares
- Bronchioli
- Bronchioli terminales
Gas-exchanging airways[Bearbeiten]
The gas-exchanging sections are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
- Bronchioli respiratorii
- Alveoli pulmonis
Physiology[Bearbeiten]
The respiratory tract is primarily responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air we breathe and the vascular system of the lungs. The gas exchange takes place through the wall of the alveoli. The air is mainly purified and heated in the airways and its volume is regulated.
The nasal cavity also contains the olfactory organ, which is developed to varying degrees in domestic mammals.
Literature[Bearbeiten]
- Nickel R, Schummer A, Seiferle E. 2004. Textbook of the Anatomy of Domestic Animals, Volume II: Intestines. 9th, unchanged edition. Stuttgart: Parey in MSV Medizinverlage Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG. ISBN: 978-3-8304-4152-6