3.3.4.1-3.3.4.2 mass transport in animals & plants Flashcards
What do RBCs contain?
contains haemoglobin
Describe the structure of haemoglobin
- large water-soluble, globular protein w quarternary structure (made up of more than 1 polypeptide chain)
- 2 pairs of polypeptides chains (alpha and beta)
- each chain has a haem group, which contains an iron ion and gives Haemoglobin its red colour
how many molecules of oxygen can Haemoglobin carry?
- each molecule can carry four oxygen molecules
how and where is oxyhaemoglobin formed?
- in the lungs
- oxygen joins to haemoglobin in red blood cells to form oxyhaemoglobin
Hb + 4O2 –> HbO8
explain what happens in dissociation of oxyhaemoglobin
- reversible reaction
- when red blood cells reach tissue in body (e.g. muscle cells), oxygen is released from Oxyhaemoglobin and it turns back to haemoglobin
haemoglobin is found in all types of what animal?
vertebrates (e.g. earthworms, some insects, some plants and even in some bacteria)
If haemoglobin has a high/low affinity of oxygen, what does this mean?
high:
- take up (associates) oxygen more easily
- but release (dissociates) it less easily
low:
- take up (associates) oxygen less easily
- release it (dissociates) more easily
what must haemoglobin be able to do to make it efficient for transporting oxygen?
- readily associate w/ oxygen at surface where gas exchange takes place
- readily dissociate from oxygen at tissues requiring it
what is haemoblogin able to do under different conditions?
- change its affininity for oxygen under different conditions
describe the affintiy of haemoglobin for oxygen near gas exchange surfaces in terms of: oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen and the result
oxygen conc: high
CO2 conc: low
affintiy of haemolglobin for O2: high
result: oxygen is associated
describe the affintiy of haemoglobin for oxygen near respiring tissues in terms of: oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen and the result
oxygen conc: low
CO2 conc: high
affintiy of haemolglobin for O2: low
result: oxygen is dissociated
explain how DNA leads to different haemoglobin molecules having different affinities for oxygen
- affinity of oxygen to haemoglobin depends on haemoglobin structure
- different base sequences in DNA - different AA sequences - different tertiary/ quaternary structure and shape
- so different affinities for oxygen
what is the oxygen dissocation curve?
graph of the relationship between the saturation of haemoglobin with oxygen (%) and the partial pressure of oxygen (kPa)
name three factors affecting oxygen-haemoglobin binding
1 partial pressure of oxygen
2 partial pressure of carbon dioxide
3 saturation of haemoglobin
draw out and explain in detail the oxygen dissociation curve
- initially graph is shallow bc shape of haemoglobin makes it hard for first oxygen molecule to bind to one of the sites on its 4 polypeptide subunits bc they’re closely united (so in low O2 conc, little O2 binds to haemoglobin)
- once first O2 binded it changes the quarternary structure of haemoglobin, causing it to change shape. Makes it easier for other subunits to bind to an O2 molecule (more binding sites revealed!)
- therefore takes a smaller increase in partial pressure of oxygen to bind the 2nd oxygen molceule than the first (this is positive cooperativity bc binding of first makes second easier and so on).
- finally gradient begins to flatten out b/c likelihood of fourth oxygen finding a binding site is low (due to low probability)
what does a further left and further right oxygen dissociation curve indicate?
further left = greater affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen (loads oxygen readily but unloads it less easily)
further right = lower affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen (loads oxygen less readily but unloads it more easily)
explain the affinity of fetal haemoglobin
- fetal haemoglobin has higher affinity for oxygen than adult haemoglobin (curve further left).
- bc it must obtain oxygen from mother’s bloodstream as it doesn’t ventiate (by time oxygen reaches placenta, oxygen saturation in blood has decreased so ppO2 is low)
- this means fetal haemoglobin can bind to oxygen at lower partial pressure so foetus can survive low partial pressure
how does partial pressure of carbon dioxide affect oxygen-haemoglobin?
- as partial pressure of carbon dioxide increases, the conditions become acidic causing haemoglobin to change shape (this is bc CO2 reacts w/ water to form carbonic acid which lowers blood pH), affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen decreases, so oxygen released from haemoglobin
- known as bohr effect
what affect does a greater carbon dioxide concentration have on haemoglobin?
greater carbon dioxide concentration, the more readily the haemoglobin releases its oxygen (the bohr effect)
explain why oxygen binds to haemoglobin at a gas-exchange surface (e.g. THE LUNGS) and affect on oxygen dissociation curve?
- high pO2
- low carbon dioxide concentration in lungs
- therefore affinity of haemoglobin of oxygen increased (positive cooperativity (after first oxygen molecule binds, binding of subsequent molecules is easier)
- reduced CO2 conc has shifted oxygen dissociation curve to the left
why is carbon dioxide concentration low at a gas exchange surface?
because CO2 diffuses across exchange surface and is excreted from organism
explain why oxygen is released from haemoglobin in respiring tisssues (e.g. MUSCLES) and affect on oxygen dissociation curve?
- low pO2
- high carbon dioxide concentration
- CO2 dissolves in blood to form carbonic acid which makes blood acidic
- therefore affinity of haemoglobin of oxygen is reduced, this means oxygen is readily unloaded from haemoglobin into muscle cells
- increased CO2 conc has shifted oxygen dissociation curve to the right
describe the process of how the loading, transport and unloading of oxygen maintains sufficient oxygen for respiring tissues
- at gas-exchange surface, CO2 constantly being removed
- pH slightly raised due to low conc of CO2
- higher pH changes shape of haemoglobin and it loads oxygen more readily
- shape also increases affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen, so its not released while being transported in blood to tissues
- in tissues, CO2 produced by respiring cells
- CO2 is acidic in solution, so pH of blood within tissue lowered, lower pH changes shape of haemoglobin into one w/ a lower affinity for oxygen
- hameoglobin releases its oxygen into respiring tissues
(the more active a tissue, the more oxygen is unloaded)
describe how a higher rate of respiration leads to more oxygen available for respiration
higher rate of respiration - the more carbon dioxide the tissue produce - the lower the pH - greater the haemoglobin shape change - the more readily oxygen is unloaded - the more oxygen is available for respiration
how are llamas adapted to their environment in terms of their haemoglobin?
- live at high altitudes with low atmospheric pressure and so low pO2
- llamas have type of haemoglobin with higher affinity of oxygen so despite low pO2, it is still loaded onto haemoglobin
how are certain animals adapted to their environment in terms of their haemoglobin?
- animals like lugworms, whales and human foetuses have myoglobin
- myoglobin has v high affinity for oxygen, even at low partial pressures
- so it acts like an oxygen store, holding on to oxygen and dissociating until nearly all oxygen has been used up in cells
why is a circulatory system needed in some organisms?
- in large organisms their SA:V ratio isn’t large enough to rely on diffusion to supply substances like oxygen and glucose to cells that need it
- so a circulatory system is used
describe how lugworms efficiently transport oxygen to its tissues
- lugworms live on seashore, they’re not very active, most of the time they’re covered by sea water, which it circulates through its burrow
- oxygen diffuses into lugworm’s blood from water and it uses haemoglobin to transport oxygen to its tissues
- when tide goes out, lugworm can’t circulate fresh supply of oxygenated water through its burrow so has to extract as much oxygen as possible from its burrow
- so haemoglobin has high affinity for oxygen, meaning that haemoglobin of lugworm is fully loaded with oxygen even when theres little available in its environment
what two things depends on the SA:V ratio of an organism and how active the organism is, in terms of mass transport systems?
- the need for a specialised transport medium
- whether the specialised transport medium is circulated by a pump
name four common features of a mammalian circulatory system
1 suitable medium for transport e.g. blood
2 form of mass transport where transport medium is moved in bulk over large distance
3 closed system of tubular vessels that contains transport medium and forms branching network to distribute it to all parts of organism
4 mechanism for moving transport medium within vessels - requires a pressure difference between one part of the system and another
draw a diagram of human heart, including names of chambers, vessels, and valves
(picture saved in laptop as human heart anatomy)
relate the structure if the chambers to their function
atria: thin-walled and elastic, so they can stretch when filled with blood
ventricles: thick muscular walls pump blood under high pressure. The left ventricle is thicker than the right so it can contract to create enough pressure to pump blood all the way around the body
why do mammals have a closed, double circulatory system?
closed: blood confined to blood vessels
double: blood passes through the heart twice
how transport systems differ in animals and plants?
- animals use muscular contraction either of body muscles or of specialised pumping organ like heart
- plants rely on natural, passive processes like evaporation of water
why does blood through the heart twice?
- when blood passed through lungs, pressure is reduced, if it were to pass immediately to rest of body its low pressure would make circulation slow
- so blood returned to heart to boost its pressure before being circulated to rest of tissue
(necessary for organisms with high body temperature hence high metabolisms)
the vessels that make up the circulatory system of a mammal are divided into what three types?
- arteries
- veins
- capillaries
why are two pumps (left and right) needed instead of one?
- to maintain blood pressure around whole body
- when blood passes through narrow capillaries of longs, pressure drops sharply and therefore would not be flowing strongly enough to continue around whole body
- therefore it’s returned to the heart to increase the pressure
what is meant by a mass transport system?
movement of fluid in one direction
why do arteries require a large proportion of muscle and elastic tissue in their walls?
- heart causes high pressure in the arteries
- elastic tissue helps to regulate pressure
- smooth muscle helps to re-distribute blood
what is the function of a valve in the circulatory system?
forces blood to flow in one direction (prevents backflow of blood)
there are two circuits that make up the circulatory system, where do these two circuits transport blood to?
- heart and lungs
what is the cardiac cycle?
term used to describe the process of contraction and relaxation of the cardiac tissue
Explain the importance of maintaining a constant blood pH (3)
- Proteins like haemoglobin are affected by changes in pH
- The tertiary structure would be different
- Less oxygen would bind with the haemoglobin
what is diastole?
- in the cardiac cycle, period of relaxation of the heart muscle, accompanied by the filling of the chambers with blood
what is systole?
- phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into the arteries
why may vein be described as an organ?
Made up of different tissues
The oxygen dissociation curve of the fetus is to the left of that for its mother. Explain the advantage of this for the fetus (2)
- Higher affinity for oxygen
- So oxygen moves from the mother to the fetus
Explain how oxygen in a red blood cell is made available for respiration in active tissues (3)
- low pH due to increased co2 due to increased respiration
- means haemoglobin has increased dissociation
- oxygen diffuses from r.b.c to tissues
The haemoglobin in one organism may have a different chemical structure from the haemoglobin in another organism. Describe how (1)
different primary structure
The oxygen dissociation curve for haemoglobin shifts to the right during vigorous exercise. Explain the advantage of this shift (3)
- lowers affinity for oxygen
- releases o2 more readily to cells
- for rapid respiration
What are four valves of the heart, and which two categories are they divided into?
Atrioventricular valves: The tricuspid valve (between RA/RV) and mitral (bicuspid) valve (between LA/LV). They are located between the atria and corresponding ventricle.
Semilunar valves: The pulmonary valve (right semilunar valve, located between RV and pulmonary artery) and aortic valve (left semilunar valve, located between LV and aorta). They are located between the ventricles and their corresponding artery, and regulate the flow of blood leaving the heart.
role of ventricles and atria
ventricles: pump blood away from heart and into arteries
atria: recieve blood from veins
name an easy way to recall what heart chambers are attached to what blood vessels
A and V always go together
Atria link to Veins
Arteries link to Ventricles
name the four blood vessels, their role and location in the circulatory system
aorta: connected to LV and carries oxygenated blood to all parts of body except lungs
vena cava: connected to RA and brings deoxygenated blood back from tissues of the body (except the lungs)
pulmonary artery: connected to RV and carries deoxygenated blood to lungs, where its oxygen is replenished and its carbon dioxide is removed. Unusually for an artery, it carries deoxygenated blood
pulmonary vein: connected to left atrium and brings oxygenated blood back from the lungs. Unusually for a vein, it carries oxygenated blood
list the correct sequence of four main blood vessels and four heart chambers that a RBC passes through on its journey from the lungs, through the heart and body, and back to the lungs again
pulmonary vein - left atrium - left ventricle - aorta - vena cava - right atrium - right ventricle - pulmonary artery
suggest why its important to prevent mixing of the blood in the two sides of the heart
- mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood would result in only partially oxygenated blood reaching tissues and lungs
- so supply of oxygen to tissues would be inadequate and there’d be a reduced diffusion gradient in the lungs, limiting the rate of oxygen uptake
describe how the heart muscle is supplied with oxygen
heart is supplied by its own blood vessels - coronary arteries
- they branch off into aorta after they leave the heart
what causes a myocardial infarction?
- blockage of coronary arteries by a blood clot
- bc area of heart muscle is deprived of blood and therefore oxygen
- muscle cells in region are unable to respire (aerobically) and so die
name the three stages of the cardiac cycle
cardiac diastole - entire heart relaxed atrial systole (or ventricular diastole) ventricular systole (or atrial diastole)
describe what happens during cardiac diastole.
- heart relaxed
- blood enters atria from pulmonary vein and vena cava, pressure starts to rise in atria
- when pressure exceeds that in the ventricles, atrioventricular valves pushed open (passage of blood aided by gravity)
- muscular walls of ventricles and atria still relaxed
- relaxation of ventricle walls causes them to recoil and reduces pressure within ventricle - causes pressure to be lower in aorta and pulmonary artery so semi-lunar valves in aorta and pulmonary artery close (dub sound of heart beat)
describe what happens during atrial systole
- atria contracts when around 50% empty, along with recoil of relaxed ventricle walls, forces remaining blood into the ventricles (from atria)
- throughout stage, muscle of ventricle walls remain relaxed
describe what happens in ventricular systole
- after short delay to allow ventricles to fill w blood, their walls contract simultaneously
- increases blood pressure within them. forcing atrioventricular valves and preventing backflow of blood into atria (lub sound)
- pressure increases in ventricles and once it exceeds that in aorta and pulmonary artery, blood is forced from ventricles into these vessels
describe why the left ventricle has a thicker wall than the right ventricle
- thick muscular walls which mean they contract more forcefully and higher pressure is created
- this is because thick left ventricle wall has to pump blood to extremities of body whereas right ventricle wall pumps blood to lungs
how are valves designed to control blood flow?
- designed so they open whenever difference in blood pressure either side of them favours movement of blood in required direction
- when pressure differences reversed i.e. when blood would tend to flow in opposite direction of whats desirable, valves designed to close
describe the role of atrioventricular valves
- prevent backflow of blood when contraction of ventricles mean that ventricular pressure exceeds atrial pressure
- closure of valves ensures that when ventricles contract, blood in them moves to aorta and pulmonary artery rather than back to atria
describe the role of semi-lunar valves
- in aorta and pulmonary artery
- prevent backflow of blood into ventricles when pressure in these vessels exceeds that in ventricles
- this arises when elastic walls of vessels recoil increasing pressure within them and when ventricle walls relax reducing pressure within ventricles
describe the role of pocket valves
- in veins that occur throughout the venous system
- ensure that when veins are squeezed, e.g. when skeletal muscles contract, blood flows back towards heart rather than away from it
what is cardiac output?
- the volume of blood pumped by one ventricle of the heart in one minute
- measured in dm3 min-1
- depends on two factors:
heart rate
stroke vol
how do you calculate cardiac output?
heart rate x stroke vol
HR (rate at which heart beats)
SV (vol of blood pumped out at each beat)