An angry child holds his breath since his parents said it is time to come in from playing. His carbon dioxide levels continue to climb and his parents are concerned what will happen to him. Predict how the respiratory system handles the rising carbon

dioxide levels.

What will be an ideal response?


As carbon dioxide levels increase, the pH of the blood decreases becoming more acidic. High arterial PCO2 detected by central chemoreceptors stimulates the ventral respiratory group (VRG) to trigger an increase in the rate of ventilation. The VRG stimulates the inspiratory muscles to contract and increase the breathing rate. Hyperventilation removes excess carbon dioxide from the blood and leads to a decrease in PCO2.

Anatomy & Physiology

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________ are hormones synthesized from cholesterol.

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Anatomy & Physiology

We think that the presence of ice caps at the poles is the "normal" condition for Earth, but actually this situation is less common than ice-free polar regions. How does continental movement relate to this?

What will be an ideal response?

Anatomy & Physiology

Which statement about hemoglobin is true?

A. Each globin chain on a hemoglobin molecule contains a heme group. B. Hemoglobin is a complex protein made of 5 chains of amino acids called globins. C. Each hemoglobin molecule can carry five oxygen molecules. D. The cytoplasm of white blood cells contains hemoglobin.

Anatomy & Physiology

All of the following statements are true of inspiration except:

A. the rib cage is elevated. B. the diaphragm is relaxed. C. volume in the thoracic cavity has increased. D. intrapulmonary pressure has decreased.

Anatomy & Physiology