Chapter 8- Transport In Animals Flashcards
Why do larger animals have circulatory systems?
Larger animals have increased distances between body parts. Development of specialised organs resulted in the need for transport systems for oxygen, nutrients and wastes.
What does a circulatory system consist of?
A heart ( a pump) Blood vessels performing different functions Blood
How do single-celled organisms and very small animals get their oxygen and nutrients?
By diffusion through their body surface because the distance the substances have to travel is small, so the slow speed of diffusion is not a problem.
Diffusion gradients are also favourable because these animals are small and have relatively low levels of activity; their demand for nutrients and oxygen is not great.
What factors affect the need for a transport system
Transport distance
Sa:V
Level of activity
How does the transport distance affect the need of a transport system
The larger the size of the organism, the further distance oxygen has to reach.
Diffusion is a slow process, so the time taken for oxygen to reach the innermost cells would be so long, that the cells would die before they received it.
How does the SA:V affect the need of transport system
Oxygen diffuses through the surface of the small animal, so the surface area is a measure of supply of oxygen.
Then number of cells (therefore the volume of the organism) is an indication of the demand for oxygen.
Larger animals have a smaller SA:V; therefore have a smaller rate of diffusion
How does the level of activity affect the need of a transport system
Large-sized animals tend to move more and also produce more waste. Therefore, these animals need a transport system to remove the waste and provide them with their needed nutrients and oxygen.
What are the two main models of circulatory systems?
Single
Double
What does the ‘single’ and ‘double’ refer to?
The number of times the blood passes through the heart in one complete circuit of the body
What are single circulatory system
Blood passes the heart only once in a single circuit of the body
There is only one atrium and one ventricle
Fishes have these:
Deoxygenated blood is pumped by the heart to the gills, where it absorbs oxygen and carbon dioxide is excreted.
From here, the blood travels to the rest of the body, passing through organs in capillaries from which it delivers oxygen, before returning to the heart.
What is a double circulatory system
Blood passes through the heart twice during each circuit of the body
Left-oxygenated blood
Right-deoxygenated blood
In general, the oxygenated blood that travels through an organ goes directly back to the heart AND NOT ANY OTHER ORGAN.
The only exception is the blood going to the gut, which then goes to the liver via the hepatic portal vein before returning to the heart.
Advantages of a double circulation
As blood travels through capillaries, its pressure and speed both drop.
In double circulatory system, the blood only goes through one capillary network before returning to the heart. Whereas in a single circulatory system, the blood goes through two networks.
Therefore the blood flowing through a double circulatory system, has a higher blood pressure and a higher average speed of flow, which in turn helps maintains the steeper concentration gradients and makes exchange of materials more efficient.
What is the difference between a closed and open circulatory system
Open- the blood flow is not restricted to only the blood vessels; the blood flows through the vessels as well as the body cavity
Closed- blood circulates throughout the entire body within the blood vessels
Example of an organism with an open system
Insects have only one main blood vessel, the dorsal vessel. This delivers blood (called haemolymph in insects) into the haemocoel (the body cavity).
The insects also have a tubular heart in their abdomen. The haemolymph bathes the organs and then re-enters the heart through opening with one-way valve called ostia when the heart relaxes.
Since the oxygen is delivered to an insect (and carbon dioxide is given out) through tracheae, it can work with such a haphazard circulatory system.
What is an aorta
This carries oxygenated blood to the whole body at a high pressure
What is a pulmonary artery
Carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs
What is a coronary artery
Supplies the heart with oxygenated blood, which sends branches across the surface
The muscular walls of the heart are so thick that a separate blood supply outside the heart is required
What is a coronary vein?
It delivers deoxygenated blood to the right atrium along with the superior and inferior vena cava
How does the blood flow through a mammalian heart?
Deoxygenated blood is passed on to the right atrium via the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava and the coronary vein.
Then this blood is passed onto the right ventricle through the tricuspid valves. The blood then flows to the pulmonary artery via the semilunar valves. The blood is then oxygenated in the lungs. This oxygenated blood then flows to the left atrium via the pulmonary vein. This then is passed onto the the left ventricle via the bicuspid valves. Next, the blood flows to the aorta through the semilunar valves. This blood is then pumped to the whole body except the lungs
Why is the wall of the left ventricle the thickest
This is because it pumps the blood to the entire body (except the lungs) at a high pressure.
The blood flow is a high pressure because the blood needs to travel a long distance in order to reach and transport oxygen to every cell.
Why is the wall of the right ventricle less thick?
Less muscle is required to pump blood through the pulmonary circuit; the blood pressure here is not high and the distance the blood needs to travel is also very short therefore less muscle is needed.
The pulmonary circuit has less resistance than the circuit from the left ventricle.
This is because the lung is a spongy organ, being full of air, and has fewer arterioles, which provide most of the resistance.
Why do the atrium have the thinnest walls?
These only pump blood to their adjacent ventricles therefore have a very short distance to cover.
What is the purpose of the tendons?
The ventricles produce considerable pressure when they contract, so the flaps of the atrio-ventricular valves are attached to the ventricle walls by tendons to prevent the valves being blown inside out.
What is the cardiac cycle
The heart beats and relaxes in a regular cycle
First stage of cardiac cycle
Both chambers are relaxed and the pressures are low.
First stage of the cycle
The atrium starts to contract, and the pressure in it increases. The increase is relatively small, because the atrium has relatively thin muscular walls. There is also a small increase in the pressure of the ventricle caused by the blood flowing into it.
The semi-lunar valves are shut.
Second stage of the cardiac cycle
The atrium relaxes and the ventricle starts to contract. When the pressure in the ventricle exceeds the pressure above in the atrium, the atria-ventricular valve is forced shut.