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7.1 Gaseous exchange in humans

7.2 Breathing cycle
7.3 Gaseous exchange in plants

7.2 Breathing cycle

Learning outcomes
• Explain the control of breathing mechanism
including the role of chemoreceptor.
• Define tidal volume, vital capacity, total lung
capacity, inspiratory reserve volume, expiratory
reserve volume and residual volume.

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Lung volume
• Spirometer is an instrument commonly
used in lab and hospitals for measuring
the lung volume during inhalation and
exhalation.
• It able to monitor the breathing pattern of a
person and can detect any breathing
defects due to pleural disorder.

• People live in higher altitudes have higher

total lung capacity (TLC) compared to
people living at sea levels. Males who are
tall, heavy and old too have higher lung
capacities. The lung capacity is between 4
– 6 dm3.
• The rate of respiration of a person can be
calculated in terms of ventilation rate.

Ventilation rate = tidal volume x inspiratory

frequency

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• During exercise, ventilation rate increases

but recovers to the normal rate at rest. The
recovery rate depends on the health
condition of the individual.

SPIROMETER

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7.2 BREATHING CYCLE

• TIDAL VOLUME (TV)
- Volume of air that is breathed in and out at rest

• INSPIRATORY RESERVE VOLUME (IRV)

- The extra volume of air taken in voluntarily after normal inhalation.

• EXPIRATORY RESERVE VOLUME (ERV)

- The volume of air that can be further breathed out after normal exhalation

• VITAL CAPACITY (VC)

- The volume of air that is breathed out after a forced inspiration followed by a forced
expiration.

• RESIDUAL VOLUME
- The volume of air still left in the lung after a maximum forced expiration. This volume
includes air left in the trachea, bronchi and bronchiole, which cannot be contracted to
expel air.

• TOTAL LUNG CAPACITY

- The maximum volume of air in the lung after a forced inhalation. This is the same as the
vital capacity plus the residual volume.

CHAPTER 7 : GAS EXCHANGE

Total lung
capacity
(TLC)

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4 volumes 2 capacities

VC = TV + IRV + ERV

TLC = TV + IRV + ERV + RV

TLC = VC + RV

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