Glossary of Terms for
Gas Exchange

Alveoli - a hollow chamber found in clusters at the end of bronchioles

Bronchi - the cartilage-ringed tubes branching off the trachea and enter the lungs

Bronchial Tubes - tubes in the lungs that come from bronchi branching into smaller tubes

Bronchioles - tiny tubes from the bronchial tubes subdividing and dividing

Diaphragm - muscle that is on the floor of the chest cavity which is used in breathing

Epiglottis- is a structure that covers the trachea so food doesn't go down it

Epithelial Cells - cells closely packed together in single or multiple layers covering internal and external surfaces or the body, when grouped as a tissue it is known as epithelium

Exhalation - process in which air is breathed out of the lungs

Gas Exchange - refers to the physical methods that organisms have for obtaining oxygen from their surroundings and removing excess carbon dioxide

Gills - tissues full of capillaries to help aid most marine animals with gas exchange

Inhalation - process in which air is brought into the lungs

Larynx- is also known as the voice box; an organ at the top of the trachea which consists of a chamber made of cartilage

Lungs - The organ where gas exchange occurs; found in air-breathing vertebrates

Nasal Passages - hollow spaces in the nose through which air flows

Oxyhemoglobin - complex formed when hemoglobin is combined with oxygen

Pharynx - opening at the back of the throat in which air travels to get to the trachea

Respiratory Pigment - a substance that carries carbon dioxide and oxygen through the blood of an organism

Respiratory Surface - a thin walled, wet, surface near a source of oxygen (ex:  water) that is also connected to the transport system;  the location of gas exchange in an organism

Spiracles - small holes along the grasshopper abdomen that lead to the tracheal tubes

Trachea - is a tube that allows air to flow from the pharynx to the lungs

Tracheal Tubes - tubes that carry air to all the cells of a grasshopper