answersLogoWhite

0

The trachea is a part of the respiratory system while the esophagus forms part of the digestive system. Since they belong to different systems, they perform separate functions. The trachea is larger and carries gasses in and out of the lungs. The esophagus is smaller and carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

User Avatar

Wiki User

7y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

What is the function of the flap of skin called the epiglottis between the trachea and the esophagus?

The epiglottis is a flap of tissue that closes over the trachea when we swallow to prevent food and liquids from entering the airway. Its main function is to direct food and liquids into the esophagus, which leads to the stomach, instead of the trachea, which leads to the lungs.


What role does the esophogus play in the human body?

The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Its main function is to transport food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach through a series of coordinated muscle contractions known as peristalsis. The esophagus also contains a sphincter at its lower end that prevents stomach acid from flowing back up into the esophagus.


Where is you're esophagus?

The esophagus is located just behind the trachea (windpipe), in the neck. It's at the end of your oral cavity down your neck and to your stomach. It is the muscular tube that links the mouth to the stomach. You cannot feel your esophagus in your throat because the trachea is in front of it.


What is the difference between plants and flowering plants?

the main difference is its infloresence catkin or akin


What is the main function of the throat in the digestive system?

The main function of the throat in the digestive system is to serve as a passageway for food and liquids to move from the mouth to the esophagus for further digestion and absorption. It also plays a role in protecting the airway by preventing food from entering the trachea during swallowing.

Related Questions

What is the function of the flap of skin called the epiglottis between the trachea and the esophagus?

The epiglottis is a flap of tissue that closes over the trachea when we swallow to prevent food and liquids from entering the airway. Its main function is to direct food and liquids into the esophagus, which leads to the stomach, instead of the trachea, which leads to the lungs.


What are the names of the two paths in the throat and where do they lead?

The two main paths in the throat are the esophagus and the trachea. The esophagus leads to the stomach, allowing food to be transported for digestion, while the trachea leads to the lungs, allowing air to pass in and out for breathing.


What is the main structure located in mediastinum?

The main structure located within the mediastinum is the heart.


What are the main differences between the esophagus and the windpipe in terms of their functions and structures?

The esophagus is a muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach, while the windpipe, also known as the trachea, is a tube that carries air to and from the lungs. The esophagus has smooth muscles and moves food through peristalsis, while the windpipe has cartilage rings to keep it open for air passage.


What is the tube between larynx and bronchii called?

The tube that connects the throat and the bronchial tube is the esophagus.The tube that connects to the bronchial tubes is actually the trachea:9. What tube connects to the bronchial tubes? Trachea CORRECThttp://library.thinkquest.org/15401/cgi-bin/resp_quiz.cgi


Function of trachealis muscle?

The main function of the trachealis muscle is to constrict the trachea, allowing air to be expelled with more force while you are coughing. This muscle is smooth and is located adjacent to the esophagus.


How does the structure and function of the trachea differ from that of the esophagus?

The esophagus has cervical, thoracic, and abdominal parts, extending from the lower end of the pharynx to the cardiac opening of the stomach. When a subject is in the erect position, it is about 25 to 30 cm long. The esophagus is a median structure that lies first behind the trachea and then behind the left atrium. It begins to deviate to the left below the left main bronchus. In the posterior mediastinum it is related to the vertebral column as a string is related to a bow. Hence there is a (retrocardiac) space between it and the vertebrae, which is visible radiographically in oblique and lateral views. The esophagus has constrictions at its commencement, frequently where it is crossed by the left main bronchus, and commonly where it traverses the diaphragm. These are sites where swallowed objects can lodge notwithstanding the fact that the esophagus is distensible and can accommodate almost anything that can be swallowed, e.g., a denture. The impressions of adjacent structures, and their alterations in disease, can be seen radiographically after barium is swallowed. The esophagus transports food and liquid and can be replaced successfully by a non-muscular tube. The muscular layer is striated above (supplied by the vagi) and smooth below (supplied by parasympathetic, or vagal, and sympathetic fibers). The process of swallowing may be watched fluoroscopically. A thin barium meal or liquid is "shot down" to the cardiac orifice, whereas a thick meal or a bolus of food travels more slowly. The esophagus is supplied by arteries in the neck (inferior thyroid arteries), thorax (bronchial arteries, direct branches of the aorta, and phrenic arteries), and abdomen (left gastric artery). Veins of the lower part of the esophagus communicate with the left gastric vein, thereby forming an important portal-systemic anastomosis. Portal obstruction (e.g., in the liver with cirrhosis) causes these channels to enlarge, and their varicosities may produce hemorrhage. Pain fibers from the esophagus accompany the sympathetic system. A vague, deep-seated, esophageal pain may be felt behind the sternum or in the epigastrium, and it resembles that arising from the stomach or heart ("heartburn"). In esophagoscopy, measurements are taken from the upper incisor teeth to indicate the beginning of the esophagus (18 cm), the point at which it is crossed by the left bronchus (28 cm), and its termination (43 cm). The trachea, or windpipe, which has cervical and thoracic parts, extends from the inferior end of the larynx to its point of bifurcation. It is about 9 to 15 cm in length. The trachea descends anterior to the esophagus, enters the superior mediastinum, and divides into right and left main bronchi. The trachea is a median structure but, near its lower end, deviates slightly to the right, resulting in the left main bronchus crossing anterior to the esophagus. Owing to the translucency of the air within it, the trachea is usually visible above the arch of the aorta in radiographs. The trachea has 15 to 20 C-shaped bars of hyaline cartilage that prevent it from collapsing. Longitudinal elastic fibers enable the trachea to stretch and descend with the roots of the lungs during inspiration. When a subject is in the erect position, the trachea divides between the T5 and T7 vertebral levels. The carina is the upward-directed ridge seen internally at the bifurcation and is a landmark during bronchoscopy. The arch of the aorta is at first anterior to the trachea and then on its left side immediately superior to the left main bronchus. Other close relations include the brachiocephalic and left common carotid arteries. The trachea is supplied mainly by the inferior thyroid arteries. Its smooth muscle is supplied by parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers, and pain fibers are carried by the vagi.


What is the difference between polyethylene and polyester?

what is the main difference between polyethylene and polyesters what is the main difference between polyethylene and polyesters


What is the main difference between the two products?

The main difference between the two products is their ingredients.


What is the difference between nervous system and respiratory system?

The main difference is that the nervous system controls and coordinates different functions of body and is made up of nervous tissues while respiratory system includes lungs trachea nasal cavities and is concerned with breathing ,its main functional tissues are epithelial and muscular .


The flap that covers the trachea?

The flap that covers the trachea is called the epiglottis. Its main function is to prevent food and liquid from entering the trachea when swallowing, ensuring these substances go down the esophagus instead.


What role does the esophogus play in the human body?

The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Its main function is to transport food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach through a series of coordinated muscle contractions known as peristalsis. The esophagus also contains a sphincter at its lower end that prevents stomach acid from flowing back up into the esophagus.