Circulatory System

Objective
• At the end of the lesson, you should be able to
describe the characteristics of the different organs
in the distribution of nutrients and transportation of
wastes.
 Learn about it!
Main Transport System
• The main transport system for animals is the
circulatory system. The circulatory system plays a
central role in an organism’s survival.
• The human circulatory system comprises of
the heart, the blood, and a closed system of
structures called blood vessels which include the
arteries, the veins, and the capillaries. The main
functions of the circulatory system are to distribute
the nutrients and oxygen to all body cells and
transport waste products to the liver, kidneys, and
lungs.
• This system works through diffusion—the movement of
molecules from an area of high concentration to an area
of low concentration. However, diffusion only occurs over
short distances such as between blood and air in the
lungs. In terms of the distribution of blood throughout the
human body, the process of bulk flow takes place. Bulk
flow is the movement of the blood from an area of high
pressure to an area of low pressure through the action of
the heart that pumps the blood and pressurizes it to flow.
This process allows a rapid transport of blood in all parts
of the body.
• Components of the Circulatory System
• The Heart
• The heart is the muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. It
consists of four chambers. The top two chambers are
called atria while the bottom two are called ventricles. The atria are
the receiving chambers for blood returning to the heart. The blood
from the circulation enters the right atrium while the reoxygenated
blood from the lungs enters the left atrium. The atria are thin-walled
chambers because they need to contract only minimally to squeeze
blood into the ventricles. In contrast, the ventricles have thicker
walls because they need to contract harder to pump blood out of the
heart and into the circulation. The right ventricle pumps blood into
the pulmonary trunk while the left ventricle ejects blood into the
aorta.
• The delivery system of the heart is separated into
two circuits: the pulmonary and the systemic
circuits. The pulmonary circuit, supplied by the
right side of the heart, receives the returning blood
and pumps the blood to the lungs for
reoxygenation and dispatch of carbon dioxide. On
the other hand, the systemic circuit, supplied by
the left side of the heart, transports the oxygenated
blood to the entire body.
• The Blood Vessels
• Blood vessels are responsible for the transport of
blood throughout the body. There are three types
of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and
capillaries. Arteries carry oxygenated blood away
from the heart while veins carry deoxygenated
blood towards the heart. Capillaries are tiny, thin-
walled vessels that allow water, nutrients, and
oxygen from the blood to move to the surrounding
tissues and allow wastes to move out in the
opposite direction.
• The Blood
• The blood is a special connective tissue that
distributes essential nutrients, including oxygen
while collecting wastes, such as carbon dioxide. It
consists of a yellowish fluid called plasma, which
contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and
platelets. The red blood cells have hemoglobin, the
protein that transports oxygen to the different
tissues in the body. This protein also releases the
carbon dioxide picked up from body tissues.
• Learn about it!
• The Path of the Circulatory System
• The deoxygenated blood passes through the right side of the heart which pumps
it into large vessels called pulmonary arteries. It then moves into the lungs where
it is 'cleaned' as the carbon dioxide is exchanged with oxygen. This process of
exchange between the carbon dioxide and oxygen is called oxygenation. The
oxygenated blood travels back into the heart through the pulmonary veins.
• The oxygenated blood is pumped into the largest blood vessel and the main
artery in the human body called aorta. Before the blood leaves the aorta, it
passes through the small arteries. Then finally, it passes through the capillaries
which distribute it to all the tissues of the body. Oxygen and nutrients are
delivered to these tissues. Simultaneously, the waste products of the cells are
carried away by the blood. As soon as all the oxygen is used up, the blood goes
into the veins and travels back into the heart.
• Closed and Open Circulatory Systems
• Humans have closed circulatory system. In a closed circulatory
system, the circulatory fluid or blood is limited within vessels. The
heart pumps blood into large vessels, branching into smaller
vessels and into different organs. Other animals with closed
circulatory system include squids and earthworms.
• On the other hand, in an open circulatory system, the circulatory
fluid called haemolymph coats the body cells. The heart pumps the
haemolymph through circulatory vessels and goes into the sinuses
or the spaces surrounding the organs. Arthropods such as
grasshoppers have open circulatory systems.
• Explore!
• Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that causes
mutation in the hemoglobin of the infected person. As a
result, anemia causes the red blood cells to have an
irregular shape. People infected with this disease usually
get tired easily and are easily short of breath. What is the
effect of this disease in the nutrient and waste transport
system of the body?
• What do you think?
• What is an alternative transport system in animals without
the circulatory system?
• Key Points
• The main transport system for animals is the circulatory system.
• The circulatory system plays a central role in an organism’s survival and is
interconnected with the respiratory system.
• The heart is the muscle that pumps blood throughout the body.
• The delivery system of the heart is separated into two circuits: the pulmonary
and the systemic circuits.
• The pulmonary circuit receives the returning blood and pumps the blood to the
lungs for reoxygenation and dispatch of carbon dioxide.
• The systemic circuit, supplied by the left side of the heart, transports the
oxygenated blood to the entire body.
• Blood vessels are responsible for the transport of blood throughout the body.
• There are three types of blood vessels: arteries, capillaries, and veins.
• Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart.
• Capillaries are tiny, thin-walled vessels that allow water, nutrients, and oxygen from the
blood to move to the surrounding tissues and allow wastes to move out in the opposite
direction.
• Veins carry deoxygenated blood towards the heart.
• The blood is a special connective tissue consisting of cells surrounded by a fluid called
plasma.
• The plasma is a yellowish liquid and considered as the biggest component of the blood.
• Red blood cells carry oxygen to the different tissues in the body and pick up carbon
dioxide to be eliminated.
• In a closed circulatory system, the heart pumps blood into large vessels, branching into
smaller vessels and into different organs. On the other hand, in an open circulatory system,
the heart pumps the circulatory fluid called hemolymph through circulatory vessels and
goes into the sinuses.
• It carries blood away from the heart.
• It is a blood vessel that allows the exchange of nutrients and oxygen with wastes such as
carbon dioxide.