6. The circulatory system of mammals Flashcards
(30 cards)
The mammalian cardiovascular system is designed to
meet the oxygen needs of all the cells in the body
If body cells are deprived of oxygen, they die
The mammalian transport system is made up of
the heart and blood vessels
Unlike plants, mammals require a transport system that moves oxygen and carbon dioxide around their bodies because
mammals are much more active than plants, which means that their cells require more energy and therefore respire more rapidly.
Cells therefore need constant deliveries of oxygen and must have the carbon dioxide produced in respiration taken away.
Moreover, mammals do not have branching bodies like those of plants, so their surface area : volume ratio is usually much smaller.
Many cells in a mammal are a long way from the gas exchange surface, so diffusion would not be sufficient to supply them with their needs
what is the mass of the heart of an adult human
around 300 g and is about the size of your fist
It is a bag of muscle, filled with blood
Figure 6.2 Diagram of the external structure of a
human heart, seen from the front
chegg
The muscle of which the heart is made is called
cardiac muscle.
This muscle is able to contract and relax rhythmically, 24 hours a day, throughout your life.
The heart is the pump that
keeps blood moving through the arteries
The circulatory system of a mammal is
a closed system
a double circulation
The circulatory system of a mammal is a closed system because
blood flows inside vessels in its journey around the body.
At no point does blood flow out of these vessels except where there is a cut; and blood clots quickly to seal external and internal wounds to limit blood loss.
The heart is the pump that keeps
the blood flowing through the circulation
the three main types of blood vessel in a closed system
arteries, capillaries and veins.
blood is a
tissue composed of red and white blood cells, platelets and plasma
An artery is
a vessel that carries blood away from the heart throughout the body
A vein is
a vessel that carries blood towards the heart
what are the smallest blood vessels
Capillaries
what is primarily responsible for the movement of blood inside veins
The contraction of skeletal muscle pressing against veins
benefits of cardiac muscle
Cardiac muscle is highly resistant to fatigue and its muscle cells have very large numbers of mitochondria
Cardiac muscle fibres contract involuntarily; they branch, interconnect, relay signals to each other and help to synchronize the heartbeat
The major portion of the heart is called the
myocardium
where is the heart located
the heart is located behind the breastbone between the left and right lungs
what surrounds the heart
A thick membranous sac called the pericardium surrounds the heart
Diffusion is fast enough for transport over
short distances
The efficient supply of materials over larger distances requires a
mass transport system
All organisms exchange materials between
themselves and their environment.
Specialist exchange surfaces are required to absorb
nutrients and respiratory gases, and remove excretory products