Soc 15- The Structure Of The Heart/Blood

Question 1

What are the three functions of the cardiovascular system?

Answer 1

1. Transports oxygen, carbon dioxide and nutrients
2. It helps clot our blood
3. It helps control the body’s temperature

Question 2

Cardio-respiratory system

Answer 2

The interaction of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to muscles during exercise.

Question 3

Cardiovascular

Answer 3

To do with the heart, blood and blood vessels together

Question 4

Vasodilation

Answer 4

When veins swell up or dilate; widening of the internal diameter (lumen) of the blood vessel to allow increased blood flow

Question 5

Vasoconstriction

Answer 5

When veins shrink down; narrowing of the internal diameter (lumen) of the blood vessel to decrease blood flow

Question 6

What is vascular shunting?

Answer 6

What is Vascular Shunting?

. Your muscles need more blood for movement and so
move away from the organs to the muscles
• The process is called vascular shunting
• Your heart starts to beat faster and your blood vessels
constrict into order to divert the blood to the muscles
. Your reflexes get faster and your muscles may tense up

Question 7

Arteries (what are the 4 characteristics?)

Answer 7

Arteries

• Arteries take blood away from the heart
• Arteries have thick walls and are more elastic than veins as they carry blood
which is at a higher pressure than veins as they carry oxygenated blood
•The channel the blood flows through, called the lumen, can widen to allow more
blood through when you so that it can reach the working muscles
. The pulmonary artery is different from other arteries as it carries deoxygenated
blood from the heart to the lungs

Question 8

Veins (what are the 4 characteristics?)

Answer 8

• Veins carry blood into the heart
• Veins have much thinner walls, are less elastic and carry blood at a lower
pressure
. Veins contain, many valves which helps deoxygenated blood flow to the heart
. Pulmonary vein is different to other veins as it carries oxygenated blood
from the lungs back to the heart

Question 9

Capillaries (what are the 4 characteristics?)

Answer 9

. Capillaries are microscopic vessels - just one cell thick
. At one end, capillaries carry oxygenated blood which transfers oxygen and
nutrients to the muscles
. At the other end, they carry deoxygenated blood into the veins, picking up waste
products and taking them around the body to dispose of them
. Capillaries are where gaseous exchange takes place

Question 10

What is the importance of red blood cells?

Answer 10

• transport oxygen from the lungs to the body’s cells, and carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs.
• they contain haemoglobin, which stores oxygen and carbon dioxide.
• this is important to a long diatance runner as their working muscles require more oxygen when running.

Question 11

Importance of white blood cells?

Answer 11

• They produce antibodies to fight against infection and diseases
• The blood also contains transparent cells called white blood cells
• They have an important function as the defence system of the body.
• If an athlete has a disease or an infection they may not be able to train or perform.

Question 12

Importance of platelets

Answer 12

• Blood platelets are formed in the bone marrow

• Tiny fragments that clump together to help blood clot and stop bleeding
• Blood is the first line of defence in the repair of a wound
• When a blood vessel is cut, platelets rush to the area and swell into irregular
  shapes, they become sticky and act as a plug
• If a performer gets a skin abrasion/cut, the blood platelets will clot to stop the bleeding.

Question 13

Importance of plasma?

Answer 13

• The main role of plasma is to take nutrients, hormones and proteins to the parts of the body that need it.
• Cells also put their waste products into the plasma. The plasma then helps remove this waste from the body.