• The mammalian respiratory system consists of a pair of lungs enclosed in the thorax and connected to the air outside by a series of branched air tunes (trachea, bronchi and bronchioles) and air pathways (nasal cavity, pharynx and larynx).
• The rib cage, intercostal muscles and diaphragm work together to draw air into (inspiration) and out (expiration) of the lungs.
• Gaseous exchange occurs in the richly vascularized alveoli, which form the gaseous exchange surface. When oxygen in the alveolar air diffuses in to the blood in the capillaries, it combines with haemoglobin in the red blood cells, forming oxyhaemoglobin. These enhances the diffusion of oxygen into the blood by maintain a steep diffusion gradient.
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