Transport Flashcards
What are the components of the circulatory system?
Heart, Blood, Blood vessels
What is the composition of blood?
red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets
What is the role of plasma?
Plasma is a watery fluid carrying platelets, red and white blood cells, carbon dioxide, digested food (nutrients), amino acids and soluble nutrients. It also carries urea, hormones, antibodies, antitoxins, proteins and heat energy (after absorbing it)
The role of plasma is to transport dissolved substances around the body. By going through the bloodstream (blood vessels) and delivering the nutrients to various cells and tissues throughout the body.
What is the role of red blood cells?
A biconcave structure for a large surface area to volume ratio (lots of oxygen can get to center of cell through diffusion). No nucleus for more space for haemoglobin. The function is to transport oxygen around the body by binding to hemoglobin.
What are the two parts of blood?
Liquid - plasma
Cellular - red + white blood cells
What are the types of white blood cells?
Lymphocytes, Phagocytes
What are white blood cells for?
To protect the body against invasion of pathogens such as bacteria and virus. They do this by phagocytosis and creating antibodies.
What is the process of separating the layers of blood?
Centrifuge
What is the percentage of components in blood?
55% plasma 45% blood cells
What is haemoglobin?
A carrier protein which weakly binds to oxygen to create oxyhemoglobin
Percentage of different types of white blood cells?
70% of white blood cells are phagocytes
25% of white blood cells are lymphocytes
What are phagocytes?
A type of white blood cell. They break down pathogens by phagocytosis. Which is engulfing the pathogen (spreading cytoplasm to trap the pathogen) in order to destroy it. As digestive enzymes are released to break them down.
What are lymphocytes?
A type of white blood cell that produces antibodies. Antibodies stick to antigens (pathogens with a marker on their surface membrane) and destroy them. They can cause antigens to burst, bacteria to stick together (in order to be ingested by phagocytes), neutralize the toxins that pathogens produce.
What are platelets?
Small fragments of cells that help your blood clot and close wounds. Open wounds allow pathogens to enter to blood clotting stops bleeding and prevents infection.
The platelets stick together to release fibrogen which turns to fibrin and forms a net that stops the bleeding. Then it creates a scab (crust)
What are antigens and antibodies?
Antigens are foreign substances in our body. (Pathogens, bacteria, virus)
Antibodies are a protein produced by white blood cells that bind to specific antigens to destroy them. Due to signals from the immune system.
What is the immune system?
A system to locate and destroy pathogens that enter the body to prevent infections.
What is vaccinations?
Also known as immunization it is the act of inserting a vaccine into ones body so that they can build an immunity to a pathogen (virus/infection)
A vaccine contains dead/weakened/inactive forms of a pathogen. For bacterial or viral diseases. Vaccines expose us to antigens so we can develop immunity to it.
What is herd immunity?
When a whole community becomes immune to a disease therefore stopping the outbreak of it (epidemic) because they all took the vaccine.
What are the weaknesses of vaccines?
Can cause severe reactions such as seizures. Sometimes might not gain full immunity to disease. Can cause mild symptoms such as fevers or a sore arm.
What is another name for red blood cells?
Erythrocytes
How are memory cells produced after a vaccination?
Once the body produces antibodies in order to destroy and antigen, it also creates antibody-producing memory cells which remain alive for long.
Why do multicellular organisms need a transporting system?
Large multicellular organisms have a smaller surface area to volume ratio meaning they cannot absorb nutrients easily through diffusion. Therefore they need a circulatory system to supply cells with what we need.
What does the circulatory system provide?
Oxygen, removal of CO2 and urea
Why can unicellular organisms rely on diffusion for movement of substances in and out of the cell?
Unicellular organisms have a high surface area to volume ratio so they can easily have substances diffuse in and out of the cell (They’re also only one cell so it very easy to pass through)
What is the circulatory system?
It is an organ system that transports oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs.
Describe the stages of the circulatory system
- deoxygenated blood flows into the heart passes through the lungs and becomes oxygenated
- oxygenated blood flows throw the other lungs and gives up oxygen to the organs and tissues, coming out deoxygenated
- deoxygenated blood flows back into the heart the restart the cycle
Describe the blood flow in the heart
Blood is pumped through the arteries to transport oxygen throughout the body and to the lungs
1. deoxygenated blood flows into the vena cava and pulmonary vein (oxygenated) flowing into the respective atrium (pulmonary vein - left atrium/vena cava - right atrium)
2. When the heart contracts (pumped/beats) the blood is pushed into the ventricles, then the ventricles contract pushing the blood back out from the arteries. (vena cava - pulmonary artery/pulmonary artery - aorta)
3. cycle repeats as new blood enters the atria. happens around 70 times a minute
What are the directions of the artery and vein?
artery - any vessel carrying blood away from the heart
vein - any vessel carrying blood towards the heart
What are the coronary arteries?
Vessels that encircle the heart to make sure the muscle tissue gets all the oxygen and nutrients needed.
What is coronary heart disease?
When the coronary arteries branch out of the aorta, layers of fatty material build up in the coronary arteries. Making the lumen get narrower (width of blood vessel) which reduces blood flow through coronary arteries. Leading to a lack of oxygen and nutrients in the heart muscle.
Factors that increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease
smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of regular exercise, diabetes
Why and how does heart range change during exercise?
There are pacemakers in the right atrium which are small electrical impulses in our hearts which regulate the pace of pumping/heartbeat.
Breathing rate and breath volume increases, therefore heart rate increasing as number of breaths per minute increases. In order to take enough oxygen to the respiring cells + remove the waste CO2.
What are the 3 types of blood vessels?
Arteries, Veins, Capillaries
What are blood vessels?
Active/dynamic organs that contract and expand in order to deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells, carry away waste products and maintain blood pressure.
They form an enclosed system that starts and ends in the heart - meaning that blood always remains in the system (in the blood vessels) unless you are to bleed.
What are capillaries?
capillaries are a transfer station between the arteries and veins.
What are arterioles?
Mini arteries that branch into the capillaries.
What are venules?
Tiny vein components that suck blood back out of the capillaries. They merge into larger veins that go into the heart.
What happens if you start bleeding?
You have damaged a blood vessel letting the blood escape.
What happens if you get bruised?
You have damaged a blood cell and had internal bleeding - usually into a loose connective tissue.
What is the structure of blood vessels?
Most blood vessels have a similar structure - 3 layers of tissue surrounding an open space/lumen. (Layers = tunics)
3 layers = tunica intima, tunica media, tunica externa
the tunica media contracts and changes in diameter letting blood flow. (smaller diameter = harder it is for blood to flow through)
What is the role of the liver in the circulatory system?
All the blood leaving the stomach + intestines pass through the liver. Which processes and breaks down, balances and creates the nutrients needed. Into forms that are easier for the rest of the body to use that are non toxic.
