Theme B: B3 Organisms - B3.2 Transport Flashcards
coronary arteries
arteries that supply blood to cardiac muscle. it feeds oxygen and nutrients directly into the muscle tissue of the heart.
plaque
the build up of cholesterol and other substances in the lumen of the arteries. the restriction in blood flow causes an occluison. plaque build up is progressive amd can severely decrease the artery’s blood flow. if the occulded artery s a coronary artery, it may result in a heart attck becasue the cardiac muscle in one of more areas of the heart will be deprived of oxygen.
cohesion-tension theory
the tension force generated by transpiration.
In order to bring water and dissolved minerals up from the roots, a plant relies on a tension force generated by transpiration.
Transpiration is the evaporation of water from leaves through open stomata. The water is located in the air spaces created by the spongy mesophyll layer of the leaf. The loss of water by transpiration causes water to be pulled through the cell walls of nearby xylem tissue by capillary action.
This creates tension (a negative pressure) at the upper end of each xylem tube. The tension results in the movement of water up the xylem, and the entire column of water moves up because of cohesion. This upwards movement of water with dissolved minerals is called the cohesion-tension theory.
formation of xylem tubes
- Imagine many cylinder-shaped plant cells stacked up on each other to make a long tube.
- When alive these cells would have had complete cell walls, plasma membranes and typical plant cell organelles.
- Now imagine that all of these cells die leaving behind only their thick cylinder-shaped cell walls.
- Even the end walls where the cells were joined to each other in the tube completely or partially degenerate.
structure of xylem tubes
Xylem vessels are composed of elongated, hollow cells that are dead at maturity, facilitating efficient water transport. the partial or total lack of cell walls between adjoining cells of the xylem tube allows unobstructed water flow upwards.
Xylem also has small pits (microscopic holes) in its sidewalls that allow the easy flow of water in and out as needed.
The walls of these vessels are thickened with lignin, a complex polymer that provides structural support and prevents collapse under the tension generated during water transport.
Dicotyledonous
Dicotyledonous is one of the two categories of flowering plants: monocotyledons are the other category.
the 5 dicotyledonous stem tissues and their functions
1) epidermis: prevents water loss and provides protection from microorganisms
2) cortex: an unspecialised cell layer that sometimes store food reserves
3) xylem: transport tubes that bring water up form the roots
4) phloem: transports carbohydrates, usually from leaves to other parts of the plant
5) vascular bundle: contains multiple vessels of both xylem and phloem
tissues in a dicotyledonous root
1) Epidermis: Grows root hairs that increase the surface area for water uptake
2) Cortex: An unspecialized cell layer that stores food reserves
3) Xylem: Transport tubes for water and minerals, starting in the roots
4) Phloem: Transport tubes that receive sugars from leaves
5) Vascular bundle: The area in the centre of the root containing xylem and phloem
tissue fluid
In order for cells to chemically exchange substances with blood, there has to be a fluid between the cells and blood. That fluid is called tissue fluid. Think of tissue fluid as the solution that bathes all cells.
tissue fluid is contsntaly renewed by being released from the side of a capillary bed closest to the arteriole.
pressure filtration
Within the capillary bed, blood pressure is highest at the arterial end as blood enters from the arterioles, driven by the heart’s pumping action. This high pressure forces plasma, containing oxygen, nutrients, and other small molecules, out of the capillaries into the surrounding tissues, forming tissue fluid. This process is known as pressure filtration.
difference in pressure within the capillary bed
At the arteriole end of the capillary bed, high hydrostatic pressure forces fluid, nutrients, and gases out of the capillaries into the surrounding tissue, forming tissue fluid. At the venule end, hydrostatic pressure drops due to a loss of fluid and the decreased distance form the heart’s pumpin action. osmotic pressure (due to plasma proteins) draws most of the tissue fluid back into the capillaries, maintaining fluid balance and enabling waste removal.
chemical makeup of blood plasma and tissue fluid
The chemical makeup of blood plasma and tissue fluid is very similar, because of the largely unregulated passage of substances through very porous capillary membranes and gaps under arteriole pressure.
* Red blood cells and large proteins do not exit the capillaries, and thus remain in the blood stream, because they are too large to exit through the capillary walls.
* Some white blood cells are able to squeeze through capillaries into tissue fluid.
arterioles
the smallest of arteries. capillaries receive their blood from arterioles. within body tissues, an arteriole branches into a capillary bed.
capillary bed
a network of capillaries that all receive blood from the same arteriole. a single capillary bed will drain its blood into a venule.
venule
the smallest of veins
how does the lumen of a capillary affect red blood cells passing through?
blood cells line up in single because the lumen (inside diameter) of each capillary is only large enough to accommodate one cell at a time.
composition of a capillary
each capillary is a small tube composed of a single-cell thickness of inner tissue and a single cell thickness of outer tissue. both these cell layers are very permeable to many substances either through the membranes or between the membranes forming the tube.
much shorter than you would expect
reasons for the composition of a capillary bed
the total surface area and extensive branching of a capillary bed is very high, so no cell in the body is far from a capillary.
highly vascular tissue
some metabolically active tissues are especially enriched with capillary beds. this is known as highly vascular tissue
fenestrated capillaries (+ fenestrations)
some tissues that have capillary beds designed to be even more permeable to substances than a typical capillary. these capillaries are said to be fenestrated.
fenestrations are small slits/opening that allow relatively large molecules to exit or enter the blood and allow increased movement of all molecules in a given time period.
examples of fenestrated capillaries:
numerous small capillaries of kidneys and areas of intestine where molecule movement needs to be rapid.
how are capillaries adapted to their function?
1) having smaller inside diameter (small lumen)
2) thin walled
3) permeable
4) large surface area
5) fenestrations (some)
arteries
blood vessels that receive blood from the heart and takes that blood to a capillary bed.
since they directly reduce blood form the heart, the blood is under relatively high pressure. Therefore, arteries are lined with a thick layer of smooth muscle and elastic fibres. the lumen of arteries is relatively small vs veins.
vein
receives blood from a capillary bed and takes that blood back to the heart.
veins receive low pressure blood form capillary beds. they’re relatively thin walled because the blood is under lower pressure, so they don’t need to withstand high pressures. The walls contain less smooth muscle and elastic tissue compared to arteries, making them more flexible and less rigid. They have a larger lumen to carry the slow moving blood.
the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and arteries
each artery is lined with a relatively thick layer of smooth muscles controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). the ANS controls those functions in the body that are necessary but not controlled consciously.