The Circulatory System 3B Flashcards
Circulatory system components
Heart and blood vessels
Why do multi-cellular organisms need a transport system
They have a low SA:VOL ratio so can’t rely on diffusion
Circulatory system root
heart -> blood vessels
Double circulatory system route
- heart -> lungs -> heart
- heart -> body -> heart
Where does the heart get its blood supply from
coronary arteries
Artery structure and function
Carry blood from heart to the rest of the body
Thick muscular walls
Elastic tissue to stretch and recoil - helps maintain higher pressure
Folded epithelium allowing artery to stretch
All arteries carry oxygenated blood apart from pulmonary artery
Divide into arterioles
Arterioles function
Form a network throughout the body direct blood to specific areas by muscles which contract or relax depending on demand
Vein structure and function
Take blood back to heart under low pressure
Wider lumen with very little elastic or muscle tissue
Valves prevent backflow of blood
Blood flow helped by muscles around valves
All veins carry deoxygenated blood apart from pulmonary veins
Capillary structure and function
Site of substance exchange
One cell thick - short diffusion pathway
Large network to increase SA called capillary beds
What is tissue fluid
fluid that surrounds cells in tissues
How is tissue fluid formed
- Start of capillary bed hydrostatic pressure inside the capillaries is greater than the hydrostatic pressure in the tissue fluid
- Difference in hydrostatic pressure means an overall outward pressure forces fluid out of the capillary beds and into the spaces around the cells forming tissue fluid
- As fluid leaves the hydrostatic pressure reduces in the capillaries so the hydrostatic pressure is much lower at the venule end of the capillary bed
4.Due to the fluid loss and an increasing concentration of plasma proteins the water potential at the venule end is lower than the water potential in the tissue fluid - This means that water re-enters the the capillaries from the tissue fluid at the venule end by osmosis
Where does excess tissue fluid go
It drains into the lymphatic system