8- Transport in animals Flashcards
Why are specialised transport systems needed?
- metabolic rate - large multicellular organisms have high metabolic rates. Require large volumes of substances and produce lots off waste. Diffusion alone would not be able you intake and expel all of these substances
- the SA:V ratio gets smaller as organism gets bigger = increased diffusion distance = diffusion would occur too slowly. SA available to absorb and remove substances becomes relatively smaller
3.molecules such as hormones or enzymes may be made in one place but needed in another
4.food will be digested in one organ system but needs to be transported to every cell for use in respiration and other aspects of cell metabolisms - waste products of metabolism need to be removed and transported to excretory organisms
What features do every circulatory system possess?
-liquid transport medium that circulates around the system (blood)
-vessels that carry the transport medium
-pumping mechanism/contractile device to move the fluid around the system
What is mass transport?
the bulk movement of substances through transport systems
What is an open circulatory system?
-very few vessels to contain the transport medium
-heart that pumps a fluid called haemolymph through short vessels and into a large cavity called the haemocel
-in the haemocel the transport medium is under low pressure and the haemolymph comes into direct contact with the cells and tissues where exchange takes place
-when heart relaxes haemolymph blood is sucked back in via pores called ostia
-haemolymph moves around organism due to movement
-haemolymph doesn’t carry oxygen and CO2 but transports food and nutrients
In what organisms is an open circulatory system found?
-molluscs
-arthropods
What is a closed circulatory system?
-blood is enclosed in blood vessels and does not come into direct contact with cell of the body
-the heart pumps blood around the body under pressure and relatively quickly
-blood is pumped through a series of progressively smaller vessels and returned back to the heart by progressively larger blood vessels
-substances leave and enter blood by diffusion through walls of blood vessels
-amount of blood flowing through vessels can be adjusted by widening + narrowing blood vessels
What organisms have closed circulatory systems?
-mammals
-vertebrates
-few invertebrates
What are single closed circulatory systems?
-heart with 2 chambers
-blood passes through the heart once for every circuit of the body
-blood passes through two sets of capillaries before it returns to heart
What organisms have single closed circulatory systems?
-fish
-annelid worms
What are double circulatory systems?
-heart has 4 chambers
-blood passes through the heart twice for every circuit of the body
-each circuit to the lungs and the body
-passes through one capillary network, relatively high pressure and fast flow
What organisms have double circulatory systems?
-birds
-most mammals
What are the advantages of single circulatory systems?
-less complex, does not require complex organs
What are the disadvantages of single circulatory systems?
-low blood pressure
-slow movement of blood
-activity level tends to be low
What are the advantages of double circulatory systems?
-heart can pump blood further around the body
-higher pressure
-faster blood flow
What is an exception for the disadvantages of single circulation?
-fish
-effective singe circulation meaning that they can be very active
-countercurrent exchange system and allow them to take up lots of oxygen from water
What are the five types of blood vessel?
-arteries
-arterioles
-capillaries
-venues
-veins
What are elastic fibres?
Composed of elastin and can stretch and recoil providing vessel with flexibility
What is smooth muscle do in blood vessels?
Vasoconstriction and vasodilation of to change the size of the lumen and intern control the flow of blood into capillaries
What does collagen do in blood vessels?
Provides structural support to maintain shape and volume of vessel
What is the structure of arteries?
-carry blood away from heart to tissues of the body
-oxygenated blood (except pulmonary artery and umbilical artery during pregnancy)
-narrow lumen to maintain high pressure
-thick muscular walls and elastic fibres which allows to stretch and recoil to maintain high pressure
-elastic fibres recoil which helps to even out blood pumped from heart to give continuous flow
-lining of artery contains endothelium which is smooth so blood easily flows over it
What is the structure of arterioles?
-link arteries and capillaries
-more smooth muscle and less elastin, but can constrict or dilate to control the flow of blood into individual organs
What is the structure of veins?
-carry blood towards the heart
-carry deoxygenated blood (except pulmonary vein and umbilical vein during pregnancy)
-wider lumen as blood pressure is low compared to arteries and to maximise volume of blood carried to heart
-endothelium lining which is smooth so blood flows easily
-valves to prevent back flow of blood
-thinner layers of muscle and elastin tissue as little need for stretching a recoiling
-lots of collagen to provide structural support
-thin walls, under low pressure
-when skeletal muscle contracts they compress veins, helping to increase pressure and push blood along
What are the 3 layers of arteries called?
Tunica intima
Tunica media
Tunica externa
What makes up the tunica intima?
squamous epithelium
What is the blood flow into arteries like?
-high pressure
-pulsatile
-fast
What is the structure of venules?
-link capillaries with veins
-very thin walls
-no smooth muscle or elastin fibres
-several venules will split from one vein
What is the structure of capillaries?
-smallest blood vessels
-site of substance exchange with cells
-very close to cells so small diffusion pathway
-walls are single endothelial cell thick for short diffusion pathway
-large surface area for diffusion of substance in and out of blood
-gaps called fenestrations between endothelial cells allow substances to diffuse out between
-large number of capillaries to increase surface area for gas exchange
-cross sectional area is small to reduce the rate of blood flow giving more time for the exchange of materials by diffusion between blood and the cells
What are pressure changes like within blood vessels?
-high to low pressure
-vena cava is the final blood vessel to return to the heart so has the lowest pressure
-pressure highest in the aorta
-blood looses pressure as it moves along the vessels from the aorta due to it branching into many vessels, increasing lumen size and friction
-fluctuations in blood pressure in arteries and arterioles as elastic tissue stretches when blood moves through at high pressure then recoils as blood pressure drops this helps to even out the flow
What is plasma?
liquid component of blood
What is the function of plasma?
transport dissolved substances
eg. glucose, amino acids, hormones, fibrinogens
Why is albumin important?
it helps to maintain osmotic pressure
Why are fibrinogens important?
important in blood clotting
What are platelets?
small fragments of cells
What is the function of platelets?
start the process of blood clotting
What is the function of erythrocytes?
carry oxygen and carbon dioxide around the blood
What are the characteristics of granulocytes?
-lobed nucleus
-granular cytoplasm
What is the function of monocytes?
involved in defence against pathogens
What are the functions of blood as a whole?
-transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from respiring cells
-transport digested food from the small intestine
-transport nitrogenous waste products from cells to the excretory organs
-transport chemical messages (hormones)
-transport cells and antibodies involved in immune response
-platelets to damaged areas
-acts as a buffer to minimise pH changes
What are the 3 layers of the artery called?
Tunica intima
Tunica media
Tunica externa
What makes up the tunica initima?
squamous epithelial
What is the function of arteries?
Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart (apart from pulmonary artery)
Why do arteries need to maintain high pressure of the arteries?
so that blood can reach tissues in the body
What makes up the tunica media of the arteries?
smooth muscle and elastic fibres
What makes up the tunica externa of arteries?
collagen
What do the elastic fibres in the tunica media of the arteries do?
stretch to receive blood and recoil between contractions of the heart which helps to maintain pressure and even out blood flow
What is the function of collagen in the tunica externa of arteries?
prevents blood vessels from bursting under high pressure
why is the tunica initima of the arteries smooth?
so blood flows easily over it
What is the function of arterioles?
regulate the flow of blood into capillaries
Why do arterioles have a lower proportion of elastin in their walls compared to arteries?
the blood flow isn’t very pulsatile
What is the function of capillaries?
to exchange substances between blood and tissues
What is the advantage of capillaries being one cell thick
short diffusion pathway
What is the advantage of blood flow being slow through capillaries?
gives longer time for exchange of substances
Why is blood flow low pressure through capillaries?
-prevent them from bursting
-pressure is spread across many vessels
What is the function of venules?
to link capillaries to veins
What are the walls of venules mostly made of?
collagen
Why do ventless have a thin tunica media?
low pressure flow doesn’t require muscle or elastic fibres
Why do veins have a wide lumen?
to accommodate the large volume of blood carried
Why are valves present in veins?
prevent backflow
What 3 mechanisms aid blood flow back to the heart?
-movement of skeletal muscles contract/relax and push blood through veins as they lie near the surface
-pocket valves = prevent back low
-breathing mechanism causes negative pressure in the thorax so pulls blood towards the heart
What is the function of lymphocytes?
produce antibodies and antitoxins
What is lymph?
modified tissue fluid that is collected in the lymphatic system
What is tissue fluid?
-a liquid produced from the circulatory system which contains dissolved nutrients
-formed at the arterial end of a capillary
-flows over cells and provides useful substances and removes waste substances
What is the function of tissue fluid?
What % of the total volume of blood is plasma?
55%
What % of the total volume of blood is red blood cells?
45%
How is a red blood cell adapted for its function?
-flattened bionconcave shape = increases there surface area = increased diffusion of oxygen
-flexible so can change shape and pass through narrow capillaries
-no nucleus to maximise the space for more haemoglobin
-packed with haemoglobin which binds to oxygen
-contain carbonic anhydrase to transport CO2 in the form of carboxyhaemoglobin
-haemoglobin carries oxygen, it is able to carry 4 molecules of O2
What causes sickle cell anaemia?
-mishappen red blood cells
-smaller volume so cannot carry as much haemoglobin = cannot carry oxygen
-diffusion of oxygen slower as it has a smaller surface area
How do you calculate filtration pressure?
hydrostatic pressure - oncotic pressure
What is oncotic pressure?
The tendency of water to move into the blood from surrounding tissues by osmosis
What is the value of oncotic pressure?
-3.3 kPa
What is hydrostatic pressure?
The high pressure inside the blood caused by surge of blood that occurs every time the heart contracts
What is the value of hydrostatic pressure?
arteriole end - 4.6 kPa
venue end - 2.3 kPa
What happens to fluid at the arterial end of the capillary?
-hydrostatic pressure is relatively high (4.6 kPa)
-higher then oncotic pressure attracting water in by osmosis
-fluid is squeezed out of the capillaries
How does the composition of tissue fluid differ from plasma?
-no red blood cells
-no plasma proteins
What happens at the venue end of the capillaries?
-hydrostatic pressure falls to around 2.3 kPa as fluid has moved out and the pulse is completely lost
-oncotic pressure is still -3.3kPa
-oncotic pressure is higher then hydrostatic pressure
-water moves back into the venous end of capillaries
-some tissue fluid is reabsorbed
Describe the formation of tissue fluid?
- At the arteriole end of the capillary, the hydrostatic pressure (4.6 kPa) inside the capillaries is greater than in the tissue fluid and also greater than the osmotic pressure (-3.3 kpa)
- The difference in hydrostatic pressure forces fluid containing small molecules (nutrients and oxygen) out of the blood through tiny gaps in the capillary wall. This forms tissue fluid
- Red blood cells, platelets and plasma proteins remain in the blood as they are too large to be pushed out through capillary walls
- Exchange occurs between tissue fluid and cells by diffusion, facilitated diffusion and active transport. Oxygen and nutrients enter the cells and CO2 send other waste leave the cell and enter tissue fluid
- As fluid leaves the capillaries at arteriole end it reduces the hydrostatic pressure. This means the blood pressure at the venous end of capillaries is much lower
- As water leaves the capillary but the plasma proteins can’t leave this lowers the water potential of the blood. Therefore the water potential in the capillary is lower than in the tissue fluid at the venule end. So at the venule end the osmotic pressure (-3.3 kPa) becomes greater then the hydrostatic pressure (2.3 kPa) so water moves into the capillary buy osmosis carrying carbon dioxide and waste products
- Any excess tissue fluid that is not reabsorbed is returned and collected into the lymphatic system which returns it to the circulatory system