topic 3C - circulatory system & mass transport in plants Flashcards
circulatory systems described as being one of two things…
open or closed
what occurs in a closed circulatory system?
blood is pumped around the body and is always contained within a network of blood vessels
which animals have closed circulatory systems?
all vertebrates and many invertebrates
what occurs in an open circulatory system?
blood is not contained within blood vessels but is pumped directly into body cavities
which organisms have an open circulatory system?
arthropods and molluscs
what system do humans have?
a closed double circulatory system
what is a closed double circulatory system?
in one complete circuit of the body, blood passes through the heart (the pump) twice
what does the right side of the heart do?
pulmonary circulatory system:
pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs for gas exchange
what does the left side of the heart do?
systemic circulatory system:
blood then returns to the left side of the heart (from the lungs), so that oxygenated blood can be pumped efficiently (at high pressure) around the body
main circulatory system structures:
-heart
-arteries
-arterioles
-capillaries
-venules
-veins
what is the heart?
-a hollow, muscular organ located in the chest cavity which pumps blood
-cardiac muscle tissue is specialised for repeated involuntary contraction without rest.
what are the arteries?
Blood vessels which carry blood away from the heart
what are arterioles?
small arteries which branch from larger arteries and connect to capillaries.
what are capillaries?
-tiny blood vessels which connect arterioles and venules
what are venules?
small veins which join capillaries to larger veins
what are veins?
blood vessels which carry blood back towards the heart
what are the main blood vessels?
-pulmonary artery
-pulmonary vein
-coronary arteries
-aorta
-vena cava
-renal artery
-renal vein
what does the pulmonary artery do?
it carries deoxygenated blood away from the heart, towards the lungs
what does the pulmonary vein do?
carries oxygenated blood away from the lungs, towards the heart
what do coronary arteries do?
supply the heart with oxygenated blood
what does the aorta do?
it carries oxygenated blood out of the heart and to the rest of the body
what does the vena cava do?
carries deoxygenated blood into the heart
what does the renal artery do?
it supplies the kidneys with oxygenated blood
what does the renal vein do?
carries deoxygenated blood away from the kidneys, towards the heart
mass & size of the human heart:
-around 300g
-roughly the size of a closed fist
what is the heart protected by?
the pericardium:
a tough and fibrous sac
what is the heart divided into?
four chambers:
-two top chambers = atria
-bottom two chambers = ventricles
what are the left & right side of the heart separated by?
a wall of muscular tissue, called the septum
what is the part of the septum that separates the atria called?
interatrial septum
what is the part of the septum that separates the ventricles called?
interventricular septum
why is the septum important?
it ensures that blood doesn’t mix between the left and right sides of the heart
when do valves in the heart open?
when the pressure of blood behind them is greater than the pressure in front of them
when do valves in the heart close?
when the pressure of blood in front of them is greater than the pressure behind them
why are valves important?
-they keep blood flowing forward in the right direction and stopping it flowing backwards
-they maintain the correct pressure in the chambers of the heart
what are the right atrium & right ventricle separated by?
tricuspid (atrioventricular valve)
what are the right ventricle and pulmonary artery are separated by?
the pulmonary valve
what are the left atrium and left ventricle are separated by?
the bicuspid (mitral valve)
what are the left ventricle and aorta are separated by?
the aortic valve
which vessels are connected to the left atrium?
pulmonary vein (oxygenated blood enters here)
aorta (distributes oxygenated blood to the rest of the the body)
which vessels are connected to the right
atrium?
vena cava (brings deoxygenated blood to the right atrium)
pulmonary artery (carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs)
what is the heart and what does it therefore require?
a muscle:
it needs its own blood supply for aerobic respiration
where are the coronary arteries?
on the surface of the heart
how should the coronary arteries be kept?
-the arteries should remain clear of plaques
-this could lead to angina or a heart attack
what do coronary arteries do for cardiac muscle cells?
-supply them with nutrients
-remove waste products
EXAM TIP!! where will the left side of the heart appear in an exam?
on the right
muscular walls of the atria…
thinner than those of the ventricles
the role of atria walls
when the atria contract, the thin muscular walls do not generate much pressure, but enough to force blood down into the ventricles, through the atrioventricular valves
the walls of the ventricles…
thicker and more muscular
the role of the ventricular walls:
after the atria contract, the ventricles contract and squeeze blood inwards, increasing its pressure and pushing it out of the heart through right and left semilunar valves
which valves are the semilunar valves?
aortic &
which valves are the atrioventricular valves?
bicuspid & tricuspid
what is the difference between the left & right side of the heart?
the muscle of the left ventricle is much thicker than the right ventricle
why is the left ventricle thicker than the right?
-the blood leaving the right ventricle travels less distance (to the lungs) than blood leaving the left ventricle (to the rest of the body to deliver oxygen for respiration)
pressure of the left ventricle:
-to reach the rest of the body, the blood leaving the left ventricle must be under high pressure
-this is generated by the contraction of the muscular walls of the left ventricle
(the right ventricle generates less pressure from the contraction of its thinner walls, as blood only has to reach the lungs)
explain the differences in pressure between left atrium and ventricle
1) the walls of the left atrium are thin, so the pressure generated by their contraction is low
2) low pressure is sufficient because blood is forced only a short distance; from the left atrium down to the left ventricle
3) the muscular walls of the left ventricle are much thicker and generate much higher pressure
4) this is because much more pressure is generated when this thick muscle contracts and squeezes blood with enough force to reach the rest of the body
what is the cardiac cycle?
the series of events that take place in one heart beat, including muscle contraction and relaxation
what is contraction of the heart called?
systole
what is relaxation of the heart called?
diastole
how frequent are cardiac cycles?
one cardiac cycle is followed by another in a continuous process
what does a contraction in the heart cause?
a decrease in volume in the corresponding chamber of the heart, which then increases again when the muscle relaxes
what do volume changes in the heart lead to?
pressure changes
when volume decreases, pressure ______
increases
when volume increases, pressure ______
decreases
why to valves open & close throughout the cardiac cycle?
as a result of pressure changes in different regions of the heart
steps of atrial systole:
1) the walls of the atria contract
2) atrial volume decreases, atrial pressure increases
3) the pressure in the atria rises above that in the ventricles, forcing the atrioventricular valves open
5) blood is forced into the ventricles, there is a slight increase in ventricular pressure and chamber volume as the ventricles receive the blood from the atria
6) the ventricles are relaxed at this point; ventricular diastole coincides with atrial systole
steps of ventricular systole:
1) the walls of the ventricles contract
2) ventricular volume decreases, ventricular pressure increases
3) the pressure in the ventricles rises above that in the atria, this forces the AV valves to close, preventing back flow of blood
4) the pressure in the ventricles rises above that in the aorta and pulmonary artery
5) this forces the semilunar valves open so blood is forced into the arteries and out of the heart
6) during this period, the atria are relaxing; atrial diastole coincides with ventricular systole
7) the blood flow to the heart continues, so the relaxed atria begin to fill with blood again
steps of diastole:
1) the ventricles and atria are both relaxed
2) the pressure in the ventricles drops below that in the aorta and pulmonary artery, forcing the SL valves to close
3) the atria continue to fill with blood
(blood returns to the heart via the vena cava and pulmonary vein)
4) pressure in the atria rises above that in the ventricles, forcing the AV valves open
5) blod flows passively into the ventricles without need of atrial systole
6) the cycle then begins again with atrial systole
lines on the cardiac cycle graph
lines on the graph represent the pressure of the left atrium, aorta, and the left ventricle
points of crossing on the cardiac cycle graph:
indicate when valves open and close
point A - cardiac cycle graph (start)
(the end of diastole)
-the atrium has filled with blood during the preceding diastole
-pressure is higher in the atrium than in the ventricle, so the AV valve is open
point A - B: slight increase ⌒
(cardiac cycle graph)
(atrial systole)
-left atrium contracts, causing an increase in atrial pressure and forcing blood into the left ventricle
-ventricular pressure increases slightly as it fills with blood
-pressure is higher in the atrium than in the ventricle, so the AV valve is open
point B: slight dip after ⌒
(cardiac cycle graph)
(beginning of ventricular systole)
-left ventricle contracts causing the ventricular pressure to increase
-pressure in the left atrium drops as the muscle relaxes
-pressure in the ventricle exceeds pressure in the atrium, so the AV valve shuts
point C: steep increase /
(cardiac cycle graph)
(ventricular systole)
-the ventricle continues to contract
-pressure in the left ventricle exceeds that in the aorta
-aortic valve opens and blood is forced into the aorta
point D - peak and then down
(cardiac cycle graph)
(beginning of diastole)
-left ventricle has been emptied of blood
-muscles in the walls of the left ventricle relax and pressure falls below that in the newly filled aorta
-aortic valve closes
point D - E: very steep drop \
(cardiac cycle graph)
(early diastole)
-the ventricle remains relaxed and ventricular pressure continues to decrease
-in the meantime, blood is flowing into the relaxed atrium from the pulmonary vein, causing an increase in pressure
point E: similar to start
(cardiac cycle graph)
(diastole)
-the relaxed left atrium fills with blood, causing the pressure in the atrium to exceed that in the newly emptied ventricle
-AV valve opens
after point E: down and then upwards
(late diastole)
There is a short period of time during which the left ventricle expands due to relaxing muscles
This increases the internal volume of the left ventricle and decreases the ventricular pressure
-at the same time, blood is flowing slowly through the newly opened AV valve into the left ventricle, causing a brief decrease in pressure in the left atrium
-the pressure in both the atrium and ventricle then increases slowly as they continue to fill with blood
how to calculate heart rate with a cardiac cycle graph:
1) work out the length of one heart beat
2) calculate how many heart beats occur per second (1/length of heartbeat)
3) calculate how many heart beats occur per minute (x60)
how to calculate heart rate with a cardiac cycle graph:
1) work out the length of one heart beat
2) calculate how many heart beats occur per second (1/length of heartbeat)
3) calculate how many heart beats occur per minute (x60)
different types of blood vessels:
-arteries
-veins
-arterioles
what do arteries do?
transport blood away from the heart (usually at high pressure)
what do veins do?
transport blood to the heart (usually at low pressure)
what do arterioles do?
transport blood into capillaries
what part of a blood vessel does the blood flow through?
the lumen
size of lumen in arteries:
narrow
purpose of the artery:
must be able to withstand high pressures generated by the contracting heart, and maintain these pressures when the heart is relaxed
wall of the artery
(+ components)
relatively thick:
layers of collagen, smooth muscle and elastic fibres
purpose of elastic fibres in the artery
-they allow the artery wall to expand around blood surging through at high pressure when the heart contracts, -these fibres then recoil when the heart relaxes
purpose of artery structure in a nutshell:
maintains high pressure
size of lumen in veins:
wide
what blood do veins receive?
blood that has passed through capillary networks (low pressure & must be returned to the heart)
the wall of the vein
(+ components)
relatively thin:
thinner layers of collagen, smooth muscle and elastic fibres
what do veins contain?
valves that prevent the backflow of blood, helping return blood to the heart
role of arterioles
they contract and partially cut off blood flow to specific organs
example of when arterioles are used:
during exercise blood flow to the stomach and intestine is reduced which allows for more blood to reach the muscles
components of arteriole walls:
lower proportion of elastic fibres and a large number of muscle cells
why do arterioles need muscle cells?
allows them to contract and close their lumen to stop blood flow
what are capillaries?
another type of blood vessel present in the circulatory system
what can capillaries form?
networks called capillary beds which are very important exchange surfaces within the circulatory system
structures of the capillary:
-they have a very small diameter
-capillaries branch between cells
-wall is one cell thick
-think, leaky walls
-he cells of the wall have gaps called pores