Ventilation systems

All multicellular organisms have mechanisms for drawing oxygen-rich air (or water) into their bodies and removing carbon dioxide-rich air (or water).

A closer look at insect breathing systems makes it easier to appreciate the functions of the more familiar human ventilation system. A detailed study of human ventilation involves the use of a spirometer.

Experiments

• Modelling the human ventilation system
  Make a simple model of the ventilation system. Investigate the effect of using tubes of different diameters to model the effect of bronchoconstriction in asthma.
• Dissecting lungs
  Study the external features of mammalian lungs, then dissect the air pipes and spongy tissue to discover their structure and properties.
• Using a spirometer to investigate human lung function
  Use a spirometer to investigate key features of human lung function (or simply read about how they work) and interpret spirometer data.
• Dissection of the ventilation system of a locust
  Dissect a locust to observe the organs within the animal and the anatomical relationships between them.