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CONCEPT OF THE
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
• In complex animals, including humans, the
circulatory system includes the medium,
vessels and pump.
• Medium: the fluid that flows in the
circulatory system i.e: blood in animals,
haemolymph in some invertebrates
• Vessels: a system of large and small
vessels i.e: arteries, veins and capillaries
• Pump: muscular heart
COMPOSITION OF HUMAN
BLOOD
Human Blood
Granulocytes Agranulocytes
Lymphocytes Monocytes
Monocyte Lymphocyte
PLATELETS
• Small, irregularly shaped fragments of
large cells in the bone marrow
• Important in the process of blood clotting
• Each mililitre of blood contains about
250000 platelets.
PLATELETS
PLASMA
• Pale, yellow liquid
• Made up of 90% water and 10% dissolved
solutes.
• Dissolved solutes consist of digested
nutrients, dissolved gases, minerals,
hormones, plasma proteins and excretory
wastes
• Blood serum: same as blood plasma but
without clotting factors.
FUNCTION OF BLOOD IN
TRANSPORT
• Transport of oxygen: Oxygen combines with Hb
in the erythrocytes to form oxyhaemoglobin. The
erythrocytes are carried by the circulating blood
to other part of the body.
• Transport of carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide
diffuses into the surrounding blood capillaries. It
then combines with water to form carbonic acid.
This reaction is catalysed by an enzyme in the
erythrocytes (carbonic anhydrase).
FUNCTION OF BLOOD IN
TRANSPORT
• Carbon dioxide: The carbonic acid then ionises
to form hydrogen ions and hydrogen carbonate
ions
• Hydrogen carbonate ions then leave the
erythrocytes and remain in the plasma
• 70% of carbon dioxide is transported in the form
of hydrogen carbonate ions.
• Another 23% combines with the Hb to form
carbaminohaemoglobin.
• 7% dissolves directly in the blood plasma.
FUNCTION OF BLOOD IN
TRANSPORT
• Absorbed food materials: Soluble digested food
(simple sugars, amino acids, vitamin B and C
and mineral salts are absorbed into the
capillaries of the villi in the small intestine. They
are transported by hepatic portal vein to the liver
and then to the heart.
• Fatty acids, glycerol and vitamins A, D, E and K
are absorbed into the lacteals. Then transported
by the lymph into the blood circulatory system
via the left subclavian vein.
FUNCTION OF BLOOD IN
TRANSPORT
• Excretory waste: deamination of excess
amino acids occurs in the liver
• Amino group is removed from the amino
acid and is converted to urea
• Urea is transported by blood to the
kidneys to be excreted.
FUNCTION OF BLOOD IN
TRANSPORT
• Heat: blood helps to regulate body
temperature by distributing heat from
heat-producing sites such as the skeletal
muscles to areas of heat loss such as the
skin.
• Hormones: transports hormones such as
insulin and glucagon to the target organs.
FUNCTION OF HAEMOLYMPH IN
TRANSPORT
• Haemolymph is a circulating blood-like fluid found in
some invertebrates with open circulatory systems
• Haemolymph is not confined to vessels only
• Haemolymph in insects is pumped into fluid-filled spaces
called the haemocoel.
• Haemolymph bathes the tissues and internal organs
directly.
• Nutrients and hormone diffuse from haemolymph into
cells.
• Waste products diffuse out from cells into the
surrounding haemolymph.
STRUCTURE OF HUMAN BLOOD
VESSELS
• Arteries: Blood vessels that carry the blood away
from the heart.
• Arteries branch out into smaller vessels called
arterioles.
• Arterioles branch out into tiny vessels called
capillaries
• Capillaries join with one another to form venules.
Venules join together to form veins.
• Veins transport blood back to the heart.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ARTERIES,
CAPILLARIES AND VEINS
CHARACTERISTICS ARTERIES CAPILLARIES VEINS