Blood vessels and the components of the blood

Question 1

what is vascular shunting?

Answer 1

-the redistribution of blood when we are exercising
-blood is diverted away from inactive areas to working muscles
-blood can be shunted away from the stomach which is why it’s important that digestion is complete before exercise

Question 2

what are the different components of the blood?

Answer 2

-red blood cells
-white blood cells
-platelets
-plasma

Question 3

what are red blood cells made using?

Answer 3

iron

Question 4

why are red blood cells red?

Answer 4

because of haemoglobin- this is a red protein that transports oxygen around the body

Question 5

what is a lack of red blood cells called?

Answer 5

anaemia

Question 6

why are red blood cells important for exercise?

Answer 6

activities that are mostly impacted by the work of red blood cells are endurance events

Question 7

what is the purpose of white blood cells?

Answer 7

help to keep people healthy and destroy pathogens

Question 8

why are white blood cells important for exercise?

Answer 8

keep athletes healthy, ensuring a sportsperson can train

Question 9

where are platelets formed?

Answer 9

in red bone marrow

Question 10

what do platelets do?

Answer 10

help clot your blood and scab around he site of the wound

Question 11

how do platelets work?

Answer 11

when there’s a cut platelets go to the cut and become sticky to block the whole, when needed they grow into irregular shapes

Question 12

why are platelets important for exercise?

Answer 12

stops excessive bleeding and helps to heal the body quicker in order to prevent infection

Question 13

what’s the role of plasma?

Answer 13

• blood cells and platelets are suspended in plasma
  -without plasma the blood would not flow or travel around the body

Question 14

what’s plasma made up of?

Answer 14

90% water, salt, glucose, calcium and antibodies

Question 15

characteristics of arteries

Answer 15

-carry blood away from the heart
-thick muscular walls
-small lumen
-contain blood under high pressure

Question 16

what happens to the arteries during exercise?

Answer 16

-during exercise the arteries will dilate, allowing more oxygenated blood to get to the working muscles
-during exercise the arteries to inactive organs constrict, this means less blood goes to the inactive organs during this time

Question 17

characteristics of veins

Answer 17

-carry blood to the heart
-thin walls
-large lumen
-contain blood under low pressure
-have valves to prevent backflow of blood

Question 18

where are capillaries found?

Answer 18

the muscles and lungs

Question 19

characteristics of capillaries

Answer 19

-one cell thick
-very low blood pressure
-where gas exchange takes place

Question 20

why are capillaries needed during exercise?

Answer 20

they allow oxygen to enter the muscles through diffusion

Question 21

why does an athletes heart pump faster when exercising?

Answer 21

more blood is needed at the working muscles because they need more oxygen and the removal of waste products

Question 22

how is the cardiovascular system transport important in sport?

Answer 22

Transport is important in sport as oxygenated blood is transported to the working muscles and converted to energy. Waste products such as carbon dioxide are also transported away from the working muscles which allows an athlete to exercise efficiently.

Question 23

how is the cardiovascular system clotting important in sport?

Answer 23

When an athlete has a cut, platelets rush to the cut to make a blood clot. This helps to prevent infection and disease which would stop an athlete from competing in sport.

Question 24

how is the cardiovascular system temperature regulation important in sport?

Answer 24

By using vascular shunting, when a person is hot the blood will be redirected to the surface of the skin to allow it to cool down and then when an athlete is cold and the blood will move away from the surface.