Question.
How are the lungs designed in human beings to maximize the area for exchange of gases.
How are the lungs designed in human beings to maximize the area for exchange of gases.
solution:
Each lung has a highly branched respiratory tract called respiratory tree. A primary bronchus divides into secondary bronchi, secondary into segmental bronchi, segmental bronchus into bronchioles which divide into terminal bronchioles, respiratory bronchioles, alveolar sacs and alveoli. Alveoli are small rounded pouches which are extremely thin walled and possess a network of capillaries over their surface. They function as respiratory surfaces. The total area of all the alveoli is more than $80 \mathrm{~m}^{2}$. It is several times more than the surface area of the whole human body.
Each lung has a highly branched respiratory tract called respiratory tree. A primary bronchus divides into secondary bronchi, secondary into segmental bronchi, segmental bronchus into bronchioles which divide into terminal bronchioles, respiratory bronchioles, alveolar sacs and alveoli. Alveoli are small rounded pouches which are extremely thin walled and possess a network of capillaries over their surface. They function as respiratory surfaces. The total area of all the alveoli is more than $80 \mathrm{~m}^{2}$. It is several times more than the surface area of the whole human body.