1.2 Function of blood

Question 1

What is the first function of the blood?

Answer 1

Transport and exchange of molecules.

Question 2

Where is blood pumped from and where to?

Answer 2

Blood is pumped from the heart to the arteries, arteries take the blood to the capillaries to exchange substances

Question 3

Where do the arteries take the blood?

Answer 3

Arteries take the blood to the capillaries to exchange substances with body tissues through thin walls.

Question 4

What does high pressure cause at the capillaries?

Answer 4

Pressure filtration, which results in plasma from the blood passing through the capillary wall into covering all the cells in the body tissue, known as tissue fluid.

Question 5

What can the cells absorb after pressure filtration?

Answer 5

They can absorb whatever useful substances they need.

Question 6

What happens to waste product?

Answer 6

They are passed out of the cells and into the tissue fluid.

Question 7

What happens to most of the tissue fluid?

Answer 7

It is returned to the blood via the capillaries.

Question 8

What is tissue fluid absorbed by?

Answer 8

Lymphatic vessels.

Question 9

What do lymphatic vessels do?

Answer 9

Return the tissue fluid to the circulatory system.

Question 10

What is the second function of the blood?

Answer 10

Temperature regulation.

Question 11

What temperature does our internal temperature need to stay at?

Answer 11

37 degrees.

Question 12

Why is it important our body stays at this temperature?

Answer 12

It is an important part of homeostasis.

Question 13

Why does this temperature need to be maintained?

Answer 13

So that chemical functions within cells will continue to work properly.

Question 14

What does the chemical reactions within cells generate?

Answer 14

Heat so one thing that the blood does is disperse heat and redistribute it around the body.

Question 15

What happens when we are too hot?

Answer 15

Blood vessels widen, blood gets sent to the surface, which makes you go red, so heat can escape.

Question 16

What happens when we are too cold?

Answer 16

Blood vessels constrict, more blood is kept further within the body, which makes you go pale.

Question 17

What is the third function of the blood?

Answer 17

Preventing infections.

Question 18

What are on the pathogens?

Answer 18

Antigens, which will be recognised by neutrophils and lymphocytes.

Question 19

What do neutrophils and lymphocytes produce?

Answer 19

Antibodies.

Question 20

What are antibodies and what do they do?

Answer 20

They are specially made proteins which target the pathogen, breaking them down so that monocytes can attack them.

Question 21

What are the antibodies remembered by?

Answer 21

Lymphocytes.

Question 22

What is the fourth function?

Answer 22

Blood clotting.

Question 23

Why is blood clotting an important function?

Answer 23

It prevents blood loss and reduces increased likelihood of infection.

Question 24

What happens if a rupture occurs in a vessel?

Answer 24

The vessel will constrict, to slow down the blood flow.

Question 25

What do platelets do at the site of an injury?

Answer 25

They create a plug that dams the breech and keeps blood from leaking further, a process known as coagulation.

Question 26

What happens when the vessel wall reacts with the platelets?

Answer 26

It makes them sticky.

Question 27

What does fibrinogen do at the injury site?

Answer 27

It forms a mesh (clot), which traps the platelets and blood cells.

Question 28

What then happens after the mesh is formed?

Answer 28

This then pulls the opposite sides of the wound together, closing the vessel wall.