Unit 3.2- Transport in animals Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Unit 3.2- Transport in animals Deck (111)
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1
Q

What are features of an EFFECTIVE transport system?

A
  • Fluid or medium to carry nutrients
  • A pump to create pressure
  • Exchange surfaces
2
Q

What are features of an EFFICIENT transport system?

A
  • Tubes or vessels to carry the blood by mass flow

- Two circuits

3
Q

What animals have a double circulatory system?

A

Mammals

4
Q

What are the advantages of a double circulatory system?

A
  • Delivers oxygen and nutrients more quickly

- The blood can flow more quickly by increasing pressure to the heart

5
Q

What are the disadvantages of a single circulatory system?

A

The rate at which oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the tissues and waste products are removed is limited

6
Q

What is the blood pressure like in the circulatory system of a fish?

A
  • Drops as the blood passes through the capillaries in the gills
  • Low pressure and speed as it flows towards the body
7
Q

Why are fish not as metabolically active as mammals?

A

They do not need to maintain body temperature so do not need as much energy. The single circuit is sufficient for their needs

8
Q

Why do mammals need a double pump system?

A

They need more energy so they can maintain their body temperature.

9
Q

Arterioles definition:

A

Small blood vessels that distribute blood from an artery to the capillaries

10
Q

Venules definition:

A

Small blood vessels that collect blood from capillaries an lead into the veins

11
Q

What are the disadvantages of an open circulatory system?

A
  • Blood pressure and speed of flow is low

- Circulation of blood may be affected by body movements

12
Q

What are the advantages of a closed circularity system?

A
  • Higher pressure so the blood flows more quickly
  • More rapid delivery of oxygen and nutrients
  • More rapid removal of carbon dioxide and other wastes
  • Transport is independent of body movement
13
Q

What layer do all types of blood vessels have?

A

Inner layer of lining made of a single layer of cells called endothelium. This is particularly smooth to reduce friction with the blood

14
Q

What layers do capillaries have?

A
  • Endothelium

- Lumen

15
Q

What layers do arteries and veins have?

A
  • Collagen fibres
  • Smooth muscle
  • Elastic fibres
  • Endothelium
  • Lumen
16
Q

What are the features of arteries?

A
  • Small lumen to maintain high blood pressure

- Folded inner wall in order to allow the lumen to expand as the blood flow increases

17
Q

What are features of arterioles?

A
  • Contain a layer of smooth muscle which can contract to constrict the diameter to reduce blood flow
  • This can be used to divert the flow of blood to regions of the body that are demanding more oxygen
18
Q

What are features of capillaries?

A

-Very thin walls to allow the exchange of nutrients and waste products
- lumen about the diameter of an erythrocyte (7um)
-This squeezes the erythrocytes against the walls to reduce diffusion distance
-Also reduces rate if flow
Walls consist of flattened epithelial cells to reduce diffusion distance
-Leaky walls

19
Q

What are features of veins?

A
  • Large lumen to ease flow of blood
  • Thin walls as they do not need to constrict the lumen
  • Valves because of low pressure
  • Walls are thin so can be flattened by skeletal muscles which applies pressure to the blood
20
Q

Hydrostatic pressure definition:

A

The pressure that a fluid exerts when pushing against the sides of a vessel

21
Q

Lymph definition:

A

The fluid held in the lymphatic system, which is a system of tubes that returns excess tissue fluid to the blood system

22
Q

Oncotic pressure definition:

A

The pressure created by the fluid outside the blood vessels pushing against them

23
Q

How is tissue fluid different to blood plasma?

A

It does not contain most of the cells found in blood and does not contain plasma proteins

24
Q

What kind of movement is the flow of blood plasma into tissue fluid? (diffusion, active transport etc)

A

Mass movement

25
Q

How is blood pushed out of the capillaries at the arterial end of the capillary bed?

A

The blood is at a relatively high hydrostatic pressure which PUSHES the blood out

26
Q

Through what processes does the exchange of substances into and out of cells take place?

A
  • Diffusion
  • Facilitated diffusion
  • Active transport
27
Q

How are waste products able to return to the blood?

A

The blood pressure is much lower at the venule end of the capillary

28
Q

What happens to the tissue fluid that does not return to the blood?

A

It enters the lymphatic system

29
Q

Why does some tissue fluid go into the lymphatic system?

A

It drains the excess tissue fluid out of the tissues and returns it to the blood system in the subclavion vein in the chest

30
Q

What makes up the lymphatic in the lymphatic system?

A

Similar composition to tissue fluid but contains more lymphocytes as these are produced in lymph nodes

31
Q

Lymph nodes definition:

A

Swellings found at intervals along the lymphatic system. They have an important play in the immune response

32
Q

What kind of hydrostatic pressures do blood plasma, tissue fluid and lymph have?

A
  • Blood plasma: high

- Tissue fluid and lymph: low

33
Q

What is oncotic pressure like in the blood plasma, tissue fluid and lymph?

A
  • Blood plasma: more negative

- Tissue fluid and lymph: less negative

34
Q

Does lymph contain fats?

A

Yes, especially near the digestive system

35
Q

How does the hydrostatic pressures change along a capillary bed?

A

In the capillaries: High at the arterial end, low at the venule end
In the tissue fluid: Lower than on the capillaries, the same at both ends

36
Q

How does the oncotic pressure change throughout a capillary bed?

A

The same for the whole stretch, bit more negative in the capillaries and less negative in the tissue fluid

37
Q

How does oncotic pressure move substances in the blood?

A
  • The oncotic pressure of the blood PULLS water into the blood
  • The oncotic pressure of the tissue fluid PULLS water into the tissue fluid
38
Q

Cardiac muscle definition:

A

Specialised muscle found in the walls of the heart chambers

39
Q

What do semi-lunar valves do?

A

Stop blood re-entering the heart from the arteries

40
Q

Why are the walls of the atria very thin?

A

The chambers do not need to create much pressure because they only have to push the blood into the ventricles

41
Q

What is the thickness of the wall of the right atria like?

A

Thicker than the atria so that blood can be pumped to the lungs, but not too thick because the alveoli in the lungs are every delicate and could be damaged by high blood pressure

42
Q

What is the thickness of the walls in the left ventricle like?

A

Two or three times thicker than in the right ventricle. The blood needs sufficient pressure to overcome the resistance of the systematic circulation

43
Q

What is the bicuspid valve?

A

Left atrio-ventricular valve

44
Q

What is the tricuspid valve?

A

Right atrio-ventricular valve

45
Q

Why has the lefy side of the heart got a bicuspid valve and the right got a tricuspid?

A

The bicuspid valve can withstand more pressure

46
Q

What does an electrocardiogram (ECG) do?

A

Monitors the activity of the heart

47
Q

How does an electrocardiogram monitor the activity of the heart?

A
  • A number of sensors are attached to the skin
  • Some of the electrical activity generated form the heart spreads through the tissues to the skin
  • The sensors on the sink pick up the electrical excitation and convert it into a trace
48
Q

What does the bit to the left of the spike of a heart trace show?

A

The excitation of the atria

49
Q

What does the spike on a heart trace show?

A

The excitation of the ventricles

50
Q

What does the bit to the right of the spike of a heart trace show?

A

Diastole

51
Q

What is a normal rhythm heart trace called?

A

Sinus rhythm

52
Q

What is a slow heart trace called?

A

Bradycardia

53
Q

What is a fast heart trace called?

A

Tachycardia

54
Q

What kind of heart trace is it where the bit before the spike is not clear (atrial more frequent than ventricles)?

A

Atrial fibrillation

55
Q

What kind of heart trace is it where the patient often feels as if a beat has been skipped?

A

Ectopic heartbeat

56
Q

Cardiac cycle definition:

A

Control and coordination of the heart

57
Q

What are the three stages of the cardiac cycle?

A
  • Atrial systole
  • Ventricular systole
  • Diastole
58
Q

Bradycardia definition:

A

A slow heart rhythm

59
Q

Ectopic heartbeat definition:

A

An extra beat or an early beat of the ventricles (feels as if a beat has been missed)

60
Q

Fibrillation definition:

A

Uncoordinated contraction of the atria and the ventricles

61
Q

Myogenic muscle definition:

A

Muscle that can initiate its own contraction

62
Q

Purkyne tissue:

A

Consists of specially adapted muscle fibres that conduct the wave of excitation from the AVN down the septum to the ventricles

63
Q

Sano-atrial node definition:

A

The heart’s pacemaker. Small patch of tissue that sends out waves of electrical excitation at regular intervals in order to initiate contractions

64
Q

Trachycardia definition:

A

A rapid heart rhythm

65
Q

Do the atria or venrticles contract at a higher rate?

A

Atria

66
Q

How many times a minute does the SAN send out waves of electrical excitation?

A

55-80

67
Q

How do the atria contract?

A
  • Wave of excitation spreads over walls of both atria and travels along membranes of muscle tissue. As the wave passes, it causes the cardiac muscle to contract. (Atrial systole)
  • Wave of excitation is then conducted through the AVN as the tissue at the base of the atria is unable to conduct the wave of excitation so it cannot travel directly to the ventricles.
  • Travelling through the AVN creates a delay which allows time for the atria to finish contracting and for the blood to flow down into the ventricles before they contract
68
Q

How do the ventricles contract?

A
  • Wave of excitation is carried from the AVN and down purkyne (conducting) tissue, down the interventricular septum
  • At the base of the septum, the wave of excitation spreads out over the ventricles, causing the muscles to contract.
  • This means that the ventricles contract from the base upwards, which forces the blood up to the major arteries at the top of the heart
69
Q

What happens in atrial systole?

A
  • Right and left atria contract together

- The muscles in the walls are thin so there is only a small increase in blood pressure

70
Q

What happens in ventricular systole?

A
  • Right and left ventricles pump together

- Contraction starts at the apex (base) of the heart so that blood is pushed towards the arteries

71
Q

What happens in diastole?

A
  • The muscular walls of all four chambers relax

- Elastic recoil causes the chambers to increase in volume, allowing the blood flow in from the veins

72
Q

How do the atrio-ventricular valves work?

A
  • After systole, the ventricular walls relax and recoil
  • The pressure in the ventricles rapidly drops below that of the atria
  • Blood in the atria opens the antrio-ventricular valves
  • The pressure in the atria and ventricles increases slowly as they fill with blood
  • The valves close when the atria begin to relax due to a swirling motion in the blood around the valves when the ventricle is full
  • As the ventricles contract (systole), the pressure in them starts to rise above that of the atria, forcing blood upwards
  • This movement fills the valve pockets and keeps them closed
73
Q

What prevents valves from turning inside out?

A

Tendinous cords

74
Q

How do semi-lunar valves work?

A
  • Before Ventricular contraction, the pressure in the arties is higher than in the ventricles so the semi-lunar valves are closed
  • Ventricular systole raises the blood pressure in the ventricles quickly to above that of the arteries, forcing the semi-lunar valves open
  • The blood is forced up the arteries and when the ventricle walls have finished contracting the heart muscle relaxes (Diastole)
  • Elastic tissue in the walls of the ventricles recoils, returning them to their original size and causing the pressure to drop quickly
  • As it drops below that of the arteries, the blood starts to flow back towards the arteries
  • The semi-lunar valves are pushed closed by the book collecting in the pockets of the valves which prevents the blood from returning to the ventricles
75
Q

What causes the pulse we can feel?

A

The pressure wave created when the left semi-lunar valve closes

76
Q

What does the elastic recoil of the walls of the aorta help to maintain?

A

Blood pressure

77
Q

Why is it important to maintain the pressure the gradient between the aorta and the arterioles?

A

It keeps the blood flowing towards the tissues

78
Q

Affinity definition:

A

A strong attraction

79
Q

Dissociation definition:

A

Releasing oxygen from the oxyhaemoglobin

80
Q

Fetal haemoglobin definition:

A

The year of haemoglobin usually found only in the foetus

81
Q

What does haemoglobin become when it takes up oxygen?

A

Oxyhaemoglobin

82
Q

Is the oxygen + haemoglobin reaction reversible?

A

Yes

83
Q

How is does the diameter of capillaries increase rate of diffusion?

A

It is 8um, the same as an erythrocyte so only 1 can get through at a time

84
Q

What % of an erythrocyte is made up of haemoglobin?

A

95%

85
Q

What does haemoglobin consist of?

A
  • Four polypeptide chains
  • Each bonded to one haem group
  • Each haem group and one ion (Fe2+) in it which can carry one oxygen molecule
  • Therefore each haemoglobin molecule can carry four oxygen molecules
86
Q

What kind of affinity for oxygen does a haem group have?

A

High

87
Q

What is partial pressure?

A

Oxygen tension. It is the concentration of oxygen, measures in KPa

88
Q

What is the saturation of haemoglobin measure in?

A

%, 100% is fully saturated

89
Q

At what concentrations of oxygen does oxygen bind to and dissociate from haemoglobin?

A
  • Binds to haemoglobin when oxygen is at a high concentration
  • Dissociates from haemoglobin when oxygen is at a low concentration
90
Q

What shape is the haemoglobin dissociation curve?

A

S

91
Q

What happens to a hemoglobin molecule’s affinity after it picks up an oxygen molecule?

A

It increases

92
Q

Why does haemoglobin not readily associate with oxygen molecules at a low oxygen tension? What happens as oxygen tension increases?

A

The haem groups are in the centre of the molecule. As oxygen tension rises, the diffusion gradient of oxygen increases so eventually an oxygen molecule will bind with a haem group. This causes a conformational change in the shadow of the haemoglobin molecule, which allows other oxygen molecules to associate with haem groups relativily easily

93
Q

Why does the haemoglobin dissociation curve eventually plateaux?

A

When a high saturation of oxygen is reached, some molecules won’t be able to take in any more oxygen, so further rises in oxygen concentration won’t have much affect on the % saturation

94
Q

What is the partial pressure of oxygen and saturation of haemoglobin like in the lungs?

A

High partial pressure so high saturation

95
Q

What is the partial pressure of oxygen and saturation of haemoglobin like in metabolising tissues?

A

Oxygen partial pressure is much lower than in the lungs so the saturation of haemoglobin drops dramatically, relaxing oxygen into the tissues

96
Q

How is foetal haemoglobin different to adult haemoglobin?

A

It has a much higher affinity for oxygen so its haemoglobin dissociation curve is to the left of adult haemoglobin

97
Q

Why does foetal haemoglobin need a high affinity to oxygen than adult haemoglobin?

A
  • In the placenta, the oxygen tension is low and the foetal haemoglobin will absorb oxygen from the surrounding tissue which reduces the oxygen tension even further
  • This causes oxygen to diffuse from the mother’s blood to the placenta
  • This reduces the oxygen tension in the mother’s blood, which causes the maternal haemoglobin to release more oxygen (dissociation)
  • Therefore foetal hemoglobin must be able to associate with oxygen in an environment where oxygen tension is low enough to make adult haemoglobin release oxygen
98
Q

Carbonic anhydrate definition:

A

The enzyme that catalyses the combination of carbon dioxide and water

99
Q

Chloride shift definition:

A

The movement of chloride ions into the erythrocytes to balance the charge as hydrocarbonate ions leave the cell

100
Q

Bohr effect definition:

A

The effect that extra carbon dioxide has on haemoglobin, explaining the release of more oxygen

101
Q

Haemoglobinic avid definition:

A

The compound formed by the buffering action of haemoglobin as it combines with excess hydrogen ions

102
Q

What are the three ways carbon dioxide is transported to the lungs?

A
  • About 5% is dissolved directly in the plasma
  • About 10% is combined directly with haemoglobin to form a compound called carbaminohaemoglobin
  • About 85% is transported in the form of hydrogen carbonate ions
103
Q

How are hydrogen carbonate ions formed (transport of carbon dioxide)

A
  • Carbon dioxide in the blood plasma diffuses into the erythrocytes
  • Here it combines with water to form a weak acid called carbonic acid
  • This is catalysed by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase
  • CO2 + H2O - > H2CO3
104
Q

What does carbonic acid dissociate to release? (transportation of carbon dioxide)

A
  • Hydrogen ions (H+) and hydrogen carbonate ions (HCO3-)

- H2CO3 - > HCO3- + H+

105
Q

What do the hydrogen carbonate ions do after they have been produced? (transportation of carbon dioxide)

A

-Diffuse out of the erythrocyte into the blood plasma

106
Q

How is the CHARGE inside the erythrocyte maintained after the H+ ions leave?

A

Chloride shift. This is the movement of chloride ions (Cl-) from the plasma into the erythrocytes

107
Q

What can happen if the hydrogen ions build up in an erythrocyte?

A
  • Could cause the contents of the erythrocyte to become very acidic
  • To prevent this, they hydrogen ions are taken out of solution by associating with the haemoglobin to produce haemoglobinic acid (HHB)
  • The haemoglobin is acting as a buffer (a compound that maintains constant PH)
108
Q

What does oxyhaemoglobin at a low partial pressure dissociate to produce?

A
  • Haemoglobin and oxygen

- (HbO8 - > Hb + 4O2)

109
Q

Why is haemoglobin able to take up hydrogen ions in the despairing tissues?

A
  • The partial pressure of oxygen in the despairing tissues is low so oxyhaemoglobin dissociates, releasing oxygen, freeing up space for hydrogen ions.
  • This forms haemoglobinic acid (Hb + H+ - > HB)
110
Q

What causes the change in PH of haemoglobin?

A
  • Carbonic acid which dissociates to release hydrogen ions
  • This can affect the tertiary structure, reducing its affinity for oxygen
  • This causes oxygen to be released into the tissues
111
Q

Why does haemoglobin release more oxygen when there is more carbon dioxide?

A

Carbon dioxide entering erythrocytes causes hydrogen ions to be released, changing the tertiary structure, decreasing the affinity for oxygen and causing oxygen to be released