respiratory system

anatomy
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Also known as: airway, respiratory tract
respiration: animals
respiration: animals
Key People:
René Laënnec Josef Breuer
Related Topics:
human respiratory system lung trachea larynx pharynx

respiratory system, the system in living organisms that takes up oxygen and discharges carbon dioxide in order to satisfy energy requirements. In the living organism, energy is liberated, along with carbon dioxide, through the oxidation of molecules containing carbon. The term respiration denotes the exchange of the respiratory gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) between the organism and the medium in which it lives and between the cells of the body and the tissue fluid that bathes them. With the exception of energy used by animal life in the deep ocean, all energy used by animals is ultimately derived from the ...(100 of 8385 words)