Blood and Organs - GCSE Flashcards
what do all multicellular organisms need?
needs a transport system
what is the transport system in humans?
it’s the blood
what are the four main components blood has?
- plasma
- platelets
- red blood cells
- white blood cells
what is plasma?
it is a pale yellow liquid which carries just about everything that needs transporting around your body
what are the 6 things plasma carries?
- red and white blood cells and platelets
- digested food products (e.g glucose and amino acids)
- carbon dioxide
- urea
- hormones
- heat energy
plasma carries digested food products from what and to where?
from -> the gut
to -> all the body cells
plasma carries carbon dioxide from what and to where?
from -> body cells
to -> the lungs
plasma carries urea from what and to where?
from -> liver
to -> kidney
what is the job of red blood cells?
transport oxygen from the lungs to all the cells in the body
how is the red blood cell adapted to its function?
- small and have biconcave shape (doughnut shape)
- contains haemoglobin
- doesn’t have a nucleus
how is the red blood cell adapted to its function: small and biconcave shape
develop this answer
because it is small and has a biconcave shape it has a large surface area for absorbing and releasing oxygen.
how is the red blood cell adapted to its function: contains haemoglobin
develop this answer
because red blood cells contains haemoglobin, in the lung it reacts with oxygen to become oxyhaemoglobin, in body tissue the reverse reaction happens to release oxygen to the cells
what is haemoglobin?
what gives blood its colour because it contains a lot of iron
how is the red blood cell adapted to its function: doesn’t have a nucleus
develop this answer
because it doesn’t have a nucleus, it frees up space for more haemoglobin so they can carry more oxygen
what does your immune system have to deal with?
pathogens
what are pathogens?
microorganisms that cause disease (e.g certain type of bacteria and viruses)
what happens once pathogens have entered your body?
they’ll reproduce rapidly unless they’re destroyed
what are two types of white blood cells?
- lymphocytes
- phagocytes
what do phagocytes do?
detect things that are ‘foreign’ to the body and then engulf the pathogens and digest them
are phagocytes specific?
no, they attack anything that is not meant to be there
describe a diagram of a phagocyte?
handmade flashcard 8
describe a diagram of a lymphocyte?
handmade flashcard 9
what do lymphocytes do?
when it comes across a foreign antigen it starts to produce a protein called antibodies
what does every pathogen have that is unique on its surface?
antigens
what do antibodies do?
they lock on the invading pathogens and mark them out for destruction by other white blood cells. The antibodies produced are specific to that type of antigen
what happens after antibodies are created?
they are produced rapidly and flow round the body to mark all similar pathogens. Memory cells are also produced in response to a foreign antigen.
what do memory cells do?
they can reproduce very fast if the same antigen enters the body again, and quickly fight off those atigens
why are you immune to most diseases?
because you already had them and your body carries a “memory” of what the antigen was like, and can quickly produce loads of antibodies if you get infected again
why have vaccinations changed the way we fight diseases?
because we don’t have to deal with the problem once it’s happened, we can prevent it happening in the first place
what does blood needs to be carried around the body?
blood vessels
what are the 3 types of blood vessels
- arteries
- capillaries
- veins
what do arteries do?
the carry the blood AWAY from the heart
what do capillaries do?
they are involved in the exchange of materials at the tissues
what do veins do?
they carry the blood to the heart
how do arteries carry blood?
under pressure
how are the artery walls?
strong, elastic and thick