Transport in Humans
Transport in Humans
Transport in Humans
Humans
By: Amna Iftikhar
The Circulatory System
The circulatory system is a
system of blood vessels
with a pump and valves to
ensure one-way flow of
blood
Circulation in Different
Animals
Fish have a two-
chambered heart and
a single circulation
This means that for every
one circuit of the body,
the blood passes through
the heart once
Mammals have a four-
chambered heart and
a double circulation
This means that for every
one circuit of the body, the
blood passes through the
heart twice
The right side of the heart
receives deoxygenated
blood from the body
and pumps it to the
lungs (the pulmonary
circulation)
The left side of the heart
receives oxygenated
blood from the lungs
and pumps it to the
body (the systemic
circulation)
Advantages of a Double Circulation
Blood travelling through the small capillaries in the
lungs loses a lot of pressure that was given to it by
the pumping of the heart, meaning it cannot travel
as fast
By returning the blood to the heart after going
through the lungs its pressure can be raised
again before sending it to the body,
meaning cells can be supplied with the oxygen and
glucose they need for respiration faster and more
frequently
Heart Structure: Basics
The heart is labelled as if it was in the
chest so what is your left on a diagram
is actually the right hand side and vice
versa
The right side of the heart
receives deoxygenated blood from the
body and pumps it to the lungs
The left side of the heart
receives oxygenated blood from the
lungs and pumps it to the body
Blood is pumped towards the heart in
veins and away from the heart
in arteries
The two sides of the heart are separated
by a muscle wall called the septum
The heart is made of muscle
tissue which are supplied with blood
by the coronary arteries
Heart Structure
The ventricles have thicker muscle
walls than the atria as they are
pumping blood out of the heart and
so need to generate a higher
pressure
The left ventricle has a thicker
muscle wall than the right
ventricle as it has to pump blood
at high pressure around the entire
body, whereas the right ventricle is
pumping blood at lower pressure
to the lungs
The septum separates the two
sides of the heart and so prevents
mixing of oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood
The Function of Valves
The basic function of all valves is to prevent blood flowing
backwards
There are two sets of valves in the heart:
The atrioventricular valves separate the atria from the ventricles
The valve in the right side of the heart is called the TRICUSPID and the
valve in the left side is called the BICUSPID
These valves are pushed open when the atria contract but when
the ventricles contract they are pushed shut to prevent blood flowing
back into the atria
The semilunar valves are found in the two blood arteries that come out of
the top of the heart
They are unusual in that they are the only two arteries in the body that
contain valves
These valves open when the ventricles contract so blood squeezes past
them out of the heart, but then shut to avoid blood flowing back into the
heart
Pathway of blood through the heart
Deoxygenated blood coming from the body flows into the right atrium via
the vena cava
Once the right atrium has filled with blood the heart gives a little beat and the
blood is pushed through the tricuspid (atrioventricular) valve into the right
ventricle
The walls of the ventricle contract and the blood is pushed into
the pulmonary artery through the semilunar valve which prevents blood
flowing backwards into the heart
The blood travels to the lungs and moves through the capillaries past the
alveoli where gas exchange takes place (this is why there has to be low
pressure on this side of the heart – blood is going directly to capillaries which
would burst under higher pressure)
Oxygen-rich blood returns to the left atrium via the pulmonary vein
It passes through the bicuspid (atrioventricular) valve into the left ventricle
The thicker muscle walls of the ventricle contract strongly to push the blood
forcefully into the aorta and all the way around the body
The semilunar valve in the aorta prevents the blood flowing back down into
the heart
Effect of exercise
Exercise & Heart Rate
Heart activity can be monitored by using an ECG,
measuring pulse rate or listening to the sounds of valves
closing using a stethoscope
Heart rate (and pulse rate) is measured in beats per minute (bpm)
To investigate the effects of exercise on heart rate, record the
pulse rate at rest for a minute
Immediately after they do some exercise, record the pulse rate
every minute until it returns to the resting rate
This experiment will show that during exercise the heart rate
increases and may take several minutes to return to normal
Why does Heart Rate Increase during Exercise?
So that sufficient blood is taken to the working muscles to
provide them with enough nutrients and oxygen for increased
respiration
An increase in heart rate also allows for waste products to be
removed at a faster rate
Following exercise, the heart continues to beat faster for a while
to ensure that all excess waste products are removed from
muscle cells
It is also likely that muscle cells have been
respiring anaerobically during exercise and so have built up
an oxygen debt
This needs to be ‘repaid’ following exercise and so the heart
continues to beat faster to ensure that extra oxygen is still being
delivered to muscle cells
The extra oxygen is used to break down the lactic acid that has
been built up in cells as a result of anaerobic respiration
The heart is made of muscle
cells that need their own supply of
blood to deliver oxygen, glucose
and other nutrients and remove
carbon dioxide and other waste
products
The blood is supplied by
the coronary arteries
1. Angioplasty
2. Coronary bypass surgery
Angioplasty
A narrow catheter (tube) is threaded through the groin up to the blocked vessel
A tiny balloon inserted into the catheter is pushed up to the blocked vessel and
then inflated
This flattens the plaque against the wall of the artery, clearing the blockage
To keep the artery clear, a stent (piece of metal / plastic mesh) is also inserted
which pushes against the wall of the artery
Sometimes the stent is coated with a drug that slowly releases medication to
prevent further build-up of plaque
Veins
Have a large lumen as blood pressure is low
Contain valves to prevent the backflow of blood as it is under
low pressure
Capillaries
Have walls that are one cell thick so that substances can easily
diffuse in and out of them
Have ‘leaky’ walls so that blood plasma can leak out and form
tissue fluid surrounding cells
Arterioles & Venules
As arteries divide more as they get further away from the heart, they
get narrower
The narrow vessels that connect arteries to capillaries are
called arterioles
Veins also get narrower the further away they are from the heart
The narrow vessels that connect capillaries to veins are called venules
Phagocytes
Carry out phagocytosis by engulfing and digesting pathogens
Phagocytes have a sensitive cell surface membrane that can detect chemicals produced by
pathogenic cells
Once they encounter the pathogenic cell, they will engulf it and release digestive
enzymes to digest it
They can be easily recognised under the microscope by their multi-lobed nucleus and
their granular cytoplasm
Lymphocytes
Produce antibodies to destroy pathogenic cells
and antitoxins to neutralise toxins released by
pathogens
They can easily be recognised under the
microscope by their large round nucleus which
takes up nearly the whole cell and their clear,
non-granular cytoplasm
(Read from notes page 164-165)
Functions of the Parts of the Blood
Plasma is important for the transport of carbon dioxide,
digested food (nutrients), urea, mineral ions,
hormones and heat energy
Red blood cells transport oxygen around the
body from the lungs to cells which require it for aerobic
respiration
They carry the oxygen in the form of oxyhaemoglobin
White blood cells defend the body against infection by
pathogens by carrying out phagocytosis and antibody
production
Platelets are involved in helping the blood to clot
Blood Clotting
Platelets are fragments of cells which are involved in blood
clotting and forming scabs where skin has been cut or punctured
Blood clotting prevents continued / significant blood loss from
wounds
Scab formation seals the wound with an insoluble patch
that prevents entry of microorganisms that could cause
infection
It remains in place until new skin has grown underneath it,
sealing the skin again