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Human A&P BIO 304 · American River College ← Course home (Week 7)

BIO 304 . WEEK 7 . THURSDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

Respiratory Anatomy and Mechanics

Upper and lower airways, alveoli, and how the chest moves air.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

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Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

Air follows a specific path from nose to alveolus. The chest pulls air in and pushes it out by changing its own volume. Today you'll draw the respiratory tract from above, then a side view showing inspiration vs expiration.

Box A. Respiratory tract from nose to alveoli

Directions

  1. Draw a head and chest in front view.
  2. Label, in order from top to bottom: nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, primary bronchi (right and left), secondary bronchi, tertiary bronchi, bronchioles, terminal bronchioles, respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveoli.
  3. At the bottom, draw a cluster of grape-like alveoli wrapped in capillaries.
  4. Note: conducting zone = nose through terminal bronchioles (no gas exchange, just airflow). Respiratory zone = respiratory bronchioles through alveoli (gas exchange happens here).
  5. Add the epiglottis at the top of the larynx (closes during swallowing).

Box B. Inspiration vs expiration

Directions

  1. Draw two side views of the thorax side by side.
  2. LEFT silhouette: inspiration. Diaphragm contracts and flattens (moves DOWN). External intercostals contract, lifting the rib cage UP and OUT. Thoracic volume INCREASES, pressure DROPS, air flows IN.
  3. RIGHT silhouette: expiration (quiet). Diaphragm relaxes and domes upward. Rib cage drops. Thoracic volume DECREASES, pressure RISES, air flows OUT.
  4. Label diaphragm position, external intercostals, ribs, lung volume change, airflow direction.
  5. Below the silhouettes, write Boyle's Law: at constant temperature, pressure and volume are inversely related. Note that inspiration is an ACTIVE process (muscle contraction); quiet expiration is PASSIVE (elastic recoil).

1C. Structures to label (18)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

  1. Nasal cavity
  2. Pharynx
  3. Larynx
  4. Epiglottis
  5. Trachea
  6. Primary bronchus
  7. Bronchioles
  8. Terminal bronchiole
  9. Respiratory bronchiole
  10. Alveolar duct
  11. Alveolus
  12. Conducting zone
  13. Respiratory zone
  14. Diaphragm
  15. External intercostal muscles
  16. Visceral pleura
  17. Parietal pleura
  18. Pleural cavity

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Lung volumes and capacities

Sketch a single spirometry tracing (volume vs time) on the lines below. Then label the four primary volumes and the four derived capacities.

1. Tidal volume (TV): the volume of air moved in a single normal quiet breath. Typical value?
2. Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV): the extra air you can breathe IN above a normal inspiration.
3. Expiratory reserve volume (ERV): the extra air you can breathe OUT below a normal expiration.
4. Residual volume (RV): the air remaining in the lungs after maximum expiration. Why is some always left?
5. Vital capacity (VC = TV + IRV + ERV): the largest volume you can move from a maximum inspiration to a maximum expiration.
6. Total lung capacity (TLC = VC + RV): everything the lungs can hold.

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. A patient has a pneumothorax (air enters the pleural cavity, breaking the seal between visceral and parietal pleura). Predict what happens to the affected lung and explain mechanistically why it collapses.
2. Compare obstructive (e.g., COPD, asthma) vs restrictive (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis) lung disease. Predict how each affects lung volumes (TV, IRV, FEV1, TLC) and explain the mechanical reason behind each pattern.
3. Surfactant is a lipid-protein mixture in the alveoli that reduces surface tension. Premature infants often lack adequate surfactant (respiratory distress syndrome). Predict the consequence for alveolar inflation and explain why this is life-threatening.

3. What to submit

Complete both the Anatomy Lab (your own drawings, hand-labeled, plus the structures list) and the Physiology Lab (activity and synthesis questions). Photograph or scan every page and upload to Canvas before the deadline listed on the schedule. Hand-drawn, hand-labeled work is the integrity mechanism for this course. Typed or AI-generated diagrams are not accepted.