Circulation
Substance transported in plants and animals
Plants have tissues to transport water, nutrients and minerals. Xylem transports water and
mineral salts from the roots up to other parts of the plant, while phloem transports sucrose and
amino acids between the leaves and other parts of the plant.
In very simple animals, materials are transported through diffusion. In complex animals, there is
a special transport system to carry oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, waste products, food and
various other substances from one part of the body to the other.
The body consists of blood vessels: veins, arteries and capillaries. Arteries transport blood away
from the heart. Arteries carry blood under high pressure from the heart to the organs and tissues.
Their walls are thicker than veins. Veins return blood back toward the heart. Veins carry blood
under low pressure from the organs and tissues back to the heart so their walls are thinner.
Smaller arteries called arterioles diverge into capillary beds, which contain 10-100 capillaries
that branch among the cells and tissues of the body. Capillaries surround body cells and tissues
to deliver and absorb oxygen, nutrients, and other substances. The capillaries also connect the
branches of arteries and to the branches of veins. Capillaries have one layer of cells (the
endothelial tunic or tunica intima) where diffusion and exchange of materials takes place.
Parts and function of structures of the heart
External structure of the heart
The heart can be found at the center of the chest, underneath the sternum in a thoracic
compartment. It is made up of four chambers and several valves that regulate the normal flow of
blood within the body.
Two chambers called atria are located in the upper portion of the heart and receive oxygen-free
blood. The valves that separate these chambers are called atrioventricular valves which is
composed of the tricuspid valve on the left and the mitral valve on the right.
On the other hand, ventricles are chambers found on the lower portion of the heart; they pump
oxygen-enriched blood into all organs of the body, reaching even the smallest cells. Similar to
the atria, the ventricular chambers are also separated by valves. Collectively-termed as semilunar
valves, these are comprised of the pulmonary and aortic valve.
The heart also has a wall that is composed of three layers: the outer layer epicardium (thin layer),
the middle layer myocardium (thick layer), and the innermost layer endocardium (thin layer).
The myocardium is thick because it is made up of cardiac muscle fibers. When someone gets a
heart attack, part of the heart muscles dies due to lack of blood flowing there from a blocked
artery. The heart muscle may heal after several weeks and form a scar tissue.
The structure of the heart is made more complex because of the mechanisms that allow blood to
be distributed throughout the body and to return into the heart. Facilitating this continuous
process are two types of blood vessels: veins and arteries. The vessels that bring oxygen-free
blood back into the heart are called veins; those that bring oxygen-rich blood away from the
heart and to other body parts are called arteries. Functioning in the left ventricle, the largest
artery is called aorta. The aorta is considered a main artery in the body. It further splits into two
smaller arteries called common iliac arteries.
Aorta: the largest artery in the human body which carries the blood from the heart to all parts of
the body except the lungs
pulmonary arteries: left and right branches of the pulmonary trunk that carry deoxygenated blood
from the heart to each of the lungs.
pulmonary veins: veins that carry highly oxygenated blood into the left atrium, which pumps the
blood into the left ventricle, which in turn pumps oxygenated blood into the aorta and to the
many branches of the systemic circuit.
septum: (plural = septa) walls or partitions that divide the heart into chambers.
valve: in the cardiovascular system, a specialized structure located within the heart or vessels
that ensures one-way flow of blood.
ventricle: one of the primary pumping chambers of the heart located in the lower portion of the
heart; the left ventricle is the major pumping chamber on the lower left side of the heart that
ejects blood into the systemic circuit via the aorta and receives blood from the left atrium; the
right ventricle is the major pumping chamber on the lower right side of the heart that ejects blood
into the pulmonary circuit via the pulmonary trunk and receives blood from the right atrium.
coronary arteries: branches of the ascending aorta that supply blood to the heart; the left coronary
artery feeds the left side of the heart, the left atrium and ventricle, and the interventricular
septum; the right coronary artery feeds the right atrium, portions of both ventricles, and the heart
conduction system.
Coronary/cardiac veins: responsible for draining deoxygenated blood from the myocardium (the
muscular tissue of the heart) into the cardiac chambers.
Cardiac muscle tissue works to keep your heart pumping through involuntary movements. This is
one feature that differentiates it from skeletal muscle tissue, which you can control. It does this
through specialized cells called pacemaker cells. These control the contractions of your heart.
Together, the heart, blood, and blood vessels: arteries, capillaries, and veins make up the
circulatory system.
Function of the Heart
The heart is the main organ in the circulatory system, the structure primarily responsible for
delivering the circulation of blood and transportation of nutrients in all parts of the body. This
continuous task uplifts the role of the heart as a vital organ whose normal operation is constantly
required.
The cardiac cycle
When the heart chambers are relaxed (diastole), blood will flow into the atria from the veins,
which are higher in pressure. During atrial systole the left and right atria contract at the same
time and push blood into the left and right ventricle, respectively. During ventricular systole,
pressure rises in the ventricles, pumping blood into the pulmonary trunk from the right ventricle
and into the aorta from the left ventricle.
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