The alveoli are the dead end terminals of the "tree", meaning that any air that enters them has to exit via the same route. A system such as this creates dead space, a volume of air (about 150 ml in the adult human) that fills the airways after exhalation and is breathed back into the alveoli before environmental air reaches them. At the end of inhalation, the airways are filled with environmental air, which is exhaled without coming in contact with the gas exchanger.
The alveoli are the dead end terminals of the "tree", meaning that any air that enters them has t?o exit via the same route. A system such as this creates dead space, a volume of air (about 150 ml in the adult human) that fills the airways after exhalation and is breathed back into the alveoli before environmental air reaches them. At the end of inhalation, ?the airways are filled ?with environmental air, which is exhaled without: coming in contact with the gas exchanger.