Human Body Systems Flashcards
What is the purpose of respiration?
To release energy
What are the reactants of aerobic respiration?
Glucose and oxygen
What are the products of aerobic respiration?
Carbon dioxide and water
What are the reactants of anaerobic respiration?
Glucose
What are the products of anaerobic respiration?
Lactic acid
What is the effect of excess lactic acid?
Cramp/muscle fatigue
Where in the cell does anaerobic respiration occur?
Cytoplasm
Where in the cell does aerobic respiration occur?
Mitochondria
Which type of respiration is more efficient?
Aerobic
When are you more likely to carry out anaerobic respiration>
During exercise
What is an oxygen debt?
The amount of oxygen required after exercising to break down lactic acid
Where in the lungs does gas exchange occur?
Alveoli
How do gases move in and out of the blood?
Diffusion
Why do exchange surfaces have large surface areas?
To speed up absorption (by diffusion or active transport)
Why do exchange surfaces have thin walls?
To reduce the distance of the diffusion pathway
Why do exchange surface have a good blood supply?
To maintain high concentration gradients to speed up diffusion
What gives the small intestine a large surface area?
Villi
What is the function of the heart?
Pumps blood around the body
What are the top two chambers of the heart called?
Right and left atrium
What are the two bottom chambers of the heart called?
Right and left ventricle
What is the function of the arteries?
To carry blood away from the heart
What is the function of the veins?
To carry blood towards the heart
What is the function of the capillaries?
Gas exchange within muscles and organs
How are the arteries adapted to carry blood at high pressure?
Elastic walls which recoil and return to their original shape
How are the veins adapted to carry blood at low pressure?
Valves to prevent backflow of blood
What is the purpose of valves?
To prevent the backflow of blood
How are capillaries adapted for gas exchange?
Thin walls - one cell thick
What are the four components of blood?
Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, plasma
What are the three types of blood vessels?
Arteries, veins and capillaries
What is the function of the red blood cells?
Carry oxygen
What do red blood cells contain which binds to the oxygen?
Haemoglobin
What is the function of the white blood cells?
They are part of the immune system
What is the function of platelets?
Help the blood to clot and form scabs
What is the function of plasma?
The liquid part of the blood which allows blood to flow
How are red blood cells different to any other animal cell?
They do not contain a nucleus
What is the function of the aorta?
Carries oxygenated blood away from the heart to the rest of the body
What is the function of the vena cava?
Carries deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart
What is the function of the pulmonary artery?
Carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs