TRANSPORTATION OF FOOD AND MINERALS IN ANIMALS

Biology Chapter 1
I Question and Answers:
1. What is called the circulatory system?
Ans. Human beings have a well-developed specialized system which transports nutrients, mineral, gases
and chemical substances called hormones within the body. It is known as the circulatory system

2. What is blood?
Ans. Blood is a fluid connective tissue. It is made up of plasma which constitutes 55-60 % and blood
corpuscles or cells which is 40-45%. The human body of an average has 4 to 6 litres of blood.

3. What is plasma?
Ans. The liquid part of blood is called plasma. It is pale yellow in colour and contains digested nutrients,
waste products and other chemicals. The total volume of plasma in a normal average adult is about 2.5
to 3.0 litres. Plasma consists of water (90-92%); proteins (7-8%); inorganic salts (1%) and traces of
other substances.

4. What are blood corpuscles? What are its different types?

Ans. Blood corpuscles are wandering and non- dividing cells that form about 45% of the blood. These are
of three types:
- Red blood cells (RBCs) or erythrocytes
- White blood cells (WBCs) or leucocytes, and
- Blood platelets or thrombocytes.

5. What are Red blood cells or erythrocytes?

 RBCs are the most abundant components of blood. There are about 5-6 million RBCs in each mm3
of blood, which gets its colour from them.
 These are red in colour because of the presence of a red-coloured iron protein called haemoglobin.
The haemoglobin carries oxygen in the pure blood from lungs to every cell in the body.
 RBCs are biconcave, disc-shaped cells, as if they are pressed from the sides. Unlike other cells, a
mature RBC does not have any nucleus. This provides more space for haemoglobin while the
biconcave shape increases surface area for more transportation of oxygen. RBCs are produced in
the bone marrow. Their average life span is about 120 days.

6. What are White blood cells or leucocytes?

 WBCs are larger than RBCs and do not contain haemoglobin, so they are colourless.
 WBCs contain nuclei.
 They do not have a definite shape and change their shape like an Amoeba.
 WBCs are produced in the red bone marrow and lymph nodes.
 They have a life span ranging from 12 hours to 12 days. Their number is much less than RBCs, that
is about 4000-13000 per mm3 of blood.
 They play a vital role in protecting the body from infection, by digesting foreign bodies like bacteria
and viruses. Because of their ability to change shape, WBCs easily reach the site of infection and
destroy germs by engulfing them.

7. What are the different types of WBCs?

Ans. There are of two types – granulocytes and agranulocytes.
Granulocytes contain granules in their cytoplasm and have lobed nuclei. They are of three types –
neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils. Agranulocytes lack granules and have unlobed nuclei. They are
of two types – lymphocytes and monocytes.

8. What are blood platelets or thrombocytes?

Ans. These are colourless disc-shaped cells without nuclei. They are smaller than RBCs and WBCs and
number between 200000-400000 per mm3 of blood. They are produced in the bone marrow. They have
a life span of about 3-7 days. They play a vital role in the clotting of blood.

9. What is clotting of blood? What does it get formed?

Ans. When there is bleeding from a wound, the platelets rush to its site and try to prevent loss of blood by
forming a clot. It is a complex chemical process that occurs as follows:
- The platelets release an enzyme thromboplastin that converts a substance called prothrombin into
thrombin.
- Thrombin, in the presence of calcium ions, converts soluble fibrinogen of plasma into insoluble
fibrin.
- Fibrin forms long threads like a mesh over the wound. It traps RBCs to form a clot, which seals the
wound and stops blood loss.
-
10. Differentiate between the different blood corpuscles.
Ans.
Feature Erythrocytes Leucocytes Thrombocytes
Colour Red due to the presence colourless Colourless
of haemoglobin
Shape Biconcave Irregular Disc-shaped
Number 5-6 million per mm3 4000-13000 per mm3 200000-400000 per mm3
Life Span 120 days 12 hours to 12 days 3-7 days
Nucleus Absent in mature cells Present Absent
Formation Red bone marrow Red bone marrow and Bone marrow
lymph nodes
Function Transporting nutrients Protecting the body from Blood clotting
and oxygen germs

11. List down the different functions of blood.

Ans. The various functions of blood are as below: -
- Transportation of nutrients: Blood transports nutrients after digestion and absorption in the small
intestine to each cell of the body.
- Transportation of respiratory gases: It transports oxygen from the lungs to body tissues and brings
carbon dioxide from those tissue back to the lungs.
- Transportation of waste products: Metabolic wastes from all cells are carried to the kidneys by the
blood for excretion through the formation of urine.
- Distribution of hormones and enzymes: Chemical messengers called hormones and enzymes are
transported by the blood from their site of production to target organs.
- Protection of body: WBCs protect the body from pathogens by destroying them.
- Blood clotting: Platelets prevent blood loss by forming clots over wounds and cuts.
- Regulation of body temperatures: It helps to keep the body temperature constant by distributing the
heat produced in the tissues through circulation.
- Salt and water balance: Blood also helps in maintaining the slat and water balance in the body.

12. What is blood transfusion?

Ans. The process by which blood is transferred from one person to another is called blood transfusion. It
cannot take place without matching blood types.

13. What are antigens and antibodies?

Ans. Antigens are proteins present on the surface of RBCs while antibodies are present in the plasma. There
are two types of antigens: A and B and two types of antibodies: A and B.

14. On what basis is the human blood classified into different types?
Ans. Based on presence of proteins called antigens and antibodies, human blood is classified into four groups
known as A, B, AB and O.
- Blood group A has antigen A and antibody B.
- Blood group B has antigen B and antibody A.
 - Blood group AB has both antigens but no antibodies.
- Blood group O has neither antigen A nor B but both antibodies A and B.

15. What is self-clumping?

Ans. When blood containing the opposite antigen is transfused into the body of a person, the antibodies of
the recipient will attack the donated blood and cause clumping. Antigen A and antibody A are
incompatible and cause self-clumping. Similarly antigen B and antibody B are incompatible. However,
antigen A is compatible with antibody B and antigen B is compatible with antibody A.

16. What is the Rhesus factor (Rh-factor)?

Ans. Rh-factor is another antigen found on the surface of RBCs. It was first discovered in rhesus monkeys.
Eighty-five percent people have the Rh factor; they are Rh-positive ( Rh+) while the rest 15 percent do
not have it and are Rh-negative (Rh-).

17. Why is it necessary to check the Rh-factor before blood transfusion?

Ans. When Rh+ blood is transfused into an Rh- person, the recipient forms antibodies against the Rh+ factor.
However, no complication occurs after the first transfusion of Rh+ blood after a short period, the
recipient’s antibodies will attack the transfused blood and cause problems. Thus, before blood
transfusion, the blood group of donors and recipients as well as their Rh-factor have to be matched to
prevent clumping of RBCs.

18. What are blood vessels? What are its different types? Give a brief about each.
Ans. Blood vessels are hollow tube-like structures that transport blood throughout the body. These are of
three types: arteries, veins and capillaries.
(i) Arteries: These are thick-walled, elastic, muscular vessels that carry blood away from the heart
to different body parts. They carry pure blood except the pulmonary artery which carries impure
blood to the lungs.
(ii) Veins: These are thin-walled vessels with valves. They carry blood towards the heart from
different body parts. They carry impure blood except the pulmonary veins which bring pure
blood from the lungs.
(iii) Capillaries: These are the fine blood vessels connecting arteries with veins. The walls of
capillaries are only one cell thick to enable diffusion of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other
materials into the cells.

19. Differentiate between arteries and veins.

Ans. The differences between arteries and veins are as below: -
Characteristic Arteries Veins
Structure/wall/lumen Thick elastic muscular walls, Thin walls with valves to prevent
narrow lumen back flow of blood, wider lumen
Nature and direction of Carry pure blood from the heart to Carry impure blood from different
blood flow various parts of the body (Except parts of the body to heart (Except
pulmonary artery) pulmonary vein)
Pressure Blood flows under high pressure Blood flows under low pressure
Position in Body Deeper in the body Superficial, close to skin.

20. Explain the structure of the heart.

Ans. The heart is a pear-shaped muscular organ located in the chest cavity. Its walls are made up of cardiac
muscles, which work tirelessly to keep it working throughout the life. It is enclosed in a double-layered
sac called pericardium, which is filled with pericardial fluid. The fluid protects the heart from shocks
and jerks during contraction. The heart is roughly the size of the fist. An adult heart is about 12 cm in
length and 9 cm in breadth. It weighs about 300 gm. The heart has four chambers – two auricles and
two ventricles. All these chambers are separated from each other to prevent the mixing of pure and
impure blood.

21. Explain the different chambers of heart.

Ans. The heart has four chambers – two auricles and two ventricles. All these chambers are separated from
each other to prevent the mixing of pure and impure blood.
 - Auricles: These are the upper chambers. They have thin walls and receive blood from different parts
of the body. These are also called atria.
- Ventricles: These are the lower chambers and have thick walls. They pump blood out of the heart.
Blood flows form the auricles to ventricles. It does not flow from one auricle to another auricle or
from one ventricle to another ventricle because of a thick muscular wall called the septum. It
separates the heart into the left and right sides.

22. What are heart valves?

Ans. The heart has two valves. The valves which regulate the flow of blood from auricles to ventricles are
the bicuspid and tricuspid valves work like a door, which opens in one direction only.

23. How does the circulation of blood take place?

Ans. The heart pumps blood constantly. The right auricles receives deoxygenated or impure blood through
two major veins, that is superior vena cava from the anterior parts of the body and inferior vena cava
from the posterior parts. From the right auricle the blood flows into the right ventricle and then to the
lungs through the pulmonary artery. In the lungs, exchange of gases takes place and the blood gets
oxygenated. This oxygenated or pure blood is brought to the left auricle by the pulmonary veins. From
the left auricle, the oxygenated blood flows in to the left ventricle and from there it is pumped into the
aorta, the largest artery in the body. The aorta divides further to supply blood to all body tissues. When
the blood passes through capillaries, oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the cells while carbon dioxide
and other wastes are collected by the blood. It thus gets deoxygenated or impure and comes back to the
right auricles completing one round of circulation.

24. What is double circulation?

Ans. The blood circulates twice through the heart for completing one round of circulation throughout the
body. This is called double circulation.

25. What is pulmonary circulation?

Ans. The circulation of blood between heart and lungs is called pulmonary circulation.

26. What is systematic circulation?

Ans. The circulation of blood between the heart and other body organs is called systematic circulation.

27. What is referred to as a heartbeat?

Ans. All the heart muscles do not contract at the same time. The auricles contract first, forcing the blood into
ventricles. A fraction of a second later, the ventricles contract to push blood into the pulmonary artery
and the aorta. Then the auricles relax and blood flows into them from the pulmonary veins and venae
cavae. By this time the ventricles have also emptied and the whole heart is relaxed. This is referred to
as a heartbeat.

28. What is known as a cardiac cycle?

Ans. The sequence of events which take place during one complete heartbeat is known as cardiac cycle. It
involves repeated contraction and relaxation of the heart muscles.

29. What is pulse?

Ans. When the left ventricle contracts, blood moves into the arteries under high pressure. The walls of arteries
get stretched by this pressure. As the ventricles relax, the pressure comes down. The stretching and
relaxing of arteries with each heartbeat is felt as a throbbing called pulse.

30. What is blood pressure?

Ans. The heart has to exert pressure in order to push blood through the blood vessels. The force of blood
exerted against the arterial walls by the heart is called blood pressure. It varies from one part of the body
to another and has two limits (upper and lower).

31. What is systolic pressure?

Ans. The average pressure produced in the ventricles when they contract and pump blood into the aorta and
pulmonary artery is called systolic pressure (upper limit). It is equal to the pressure exerted by a column
of 120 mm Hg (millimetres of mercury).

32. What is diastolic pressure?

Ans. The average pressure produced when the ventricles get filled with blood form the auricles is called
diastolic pressure (lower limit). It is about 80 mm Hg.

33. What is heart’s natural pacemaker?

Ans. A cluster of cells situated in the upper part of the right auricle, called the sinoatrial node or SA node,
coordinates the heartbeats by generating electrical impulses. It is called the heart’s natural pacemaker.
When the SA node is defective, heart rhythms become abnormal – either too fast or too slow or a
combination of both.

34. What is the lymphatic system?

Ans. When blood reaches the capillaries, some of the water and dissolved solutes are filtered out form the
plasma into tissue spaces to form a tissue fluid called lymph. Some of this fluid or lymph enters tiny
channels called lymph vessels. Basically, lymph has all the elements of blood except RBCs and blood
platelets. It is slightly yellowish in colour and contains special type of white blood cells called
lymphocytes which help in fighting infections. The lymphatic system consists of lymph vessels and
lymph nodes. The lymph vessels resemble veins due to their thin walls and presence of valves. The
lymph nodes are small globular masses of lymphatic tissue.

35. What are blood tests?

Ans. Blood tests help doctors detect
- How organs such as kidneys, liver, thyroid and heart are functioning
-
- Presence of diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS, dengue, malaria and diabetes
- Evaluate how well treatments are working on patients
These tests are carried out at pathological laboratories. The blood sample is collected in a bottle and
labelled with the name of the patient. A unique number is also allotted to it. It is then examined in the
laboratory. The reports are given to the patient, who consults the doctor for further treatment.

II Fill in the blanks:

1. The circulatory system consists of blood, blood vessels, heart and lymphatic system.
2. Blood is made up of plasma and blood corpuscles.
3. The liquid part of blood is called plasma.
4. The different types of blood corpuscles are erythrocytes, leucocytes, thrombocytes.
5. Plasma consists of water, proteins, inorganic salts and traces of other substances.
6. Haemoglobin is the iron protein in red blood cells. It carries oxygen to the cells in the form of
oxyhaemoglobin.
7. About 20 million RBCs are destroyed every minute in the spleen and liver. After destruction the iron
part is retained in the liver while the rest is excreted as bilirubin (bile pigment).
8. Oxygen combines with haemoglobin to form a compound called oxyhaemoglobin.
9. Haemoglobin carries some carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs in form of carbaminohemoglobin.
10. An abnormal increase in WBC count – above 50,000 per mm3 indicates infection in the body.
11. Red blood cells have a definite shape, but no nucleus.
12. White blood cells are nucleate but irregular in shape.
13. Thrombocytes are disc-shaped cells without nucleus.
14. Blood group O is called the universal donor since it can be given to a person with any blood group.
15. Blood group AB is called the universal recipient since it can receive blood from a person with any
blood group.
16. Austrian biologist and physician, Karl Landsteiner developed the modern system of classification of
blood groups based on the presence of antigens and antibodies in the blood and the Rhesus factor. He
was awarded the Nobel prize in medicine for these discoveries.
 17. The heart beats about 1,00,000 times every day. On an average 5 L of blood is pumped by our heart
every minute.
18. The left side of the heart comprising left auricle and left ventricle has pure blood and the right side
having right auricle and right ventricle has impure blood.
19. The right auricle receives deoxygenated or impure blood through two major veins called superior vena
cava and inferior vena cava.
20. Deoxygenated blood is rich in carbon dioxide.
21. A contraction is termed as systole and a relaxation is termed as diastole.
22. One complete heartbeat or cardiac cycle consists of one systole and one diastole.
23. Each heartbeat is head as two sounds and lasts for about 0.8 seconds.
24. The doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to this two-part heartbeat – the contraction of auricle makes one
weak sound while the contraction of ventricle makes a stronger sound.
25. Pulse is the rate at which the heart beats.
26. It is easy to feel the pulse at the side of the neck or at the wrist near the base of the thumb.
27. In a healthy adult, the pulse is about 70-75 times per minute, in infants it is 100-160 per minute while
in children it is 70-120 per minute.
28. The pulse also increases after exercise.
29. The systolic pressure is about 120 mm Hg and the diastolic pressure is about 80 mm Hg.
30. The normal value of blood pressure in an adult is about 120/80 mm Hg.
31. Blood pressure is measured with a sphygmomanometer.
32. Higher than normal values for blood pressure is called high blood pressure or hypertension.
33. High blood pressure can increase the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, kidney diseases and blindness.
34. The lymphatic system consists of lymph vessels and lymph nodes.

Chapter End Questions

I Definition
Bicuspid Valve : valve between the left auricle and the left ventricle

Diastolic pressure : average pressure produced when the ventricles get filled with blood
form the auricles

Lymph : Yellowish fluid containing WBCs (lymphocytes) which help in

fighting infections and diseases

Systolic pressure : average pressure produced in the ventricles when they contract and
pump blood into the aorta and the pulmonary artery

Tricuspid valve : Valve between the right auricles and the right ventricle

II Underline the most appropriate answer:

1. Which of the following blood cells are without nuclei?
(a)RBCs (b)WBCs
(c)Blood platelets (d)a and c

2. Blood cells which protect the body from diseases are

(a)erythrocytes (b)leucocytes
(c)thrombocytes (d)osteocytes

3. Which of the following blood cells are responsible for the clotting of blood?
(a)erythrocytes (b)leucocytes
(c)Thrombocytes (d)Lymphocytes
4. Which blood group is known as the universal recipient?
(a)A (b)B
(c)AB (d)O

5. The finest of all blood vessels are the

(a)veins (b)arteries
(c)aorta (d)capillaries

6. The vein which brings deoxygenated blood from the posterior part of the body is the
(a)pulmonary vein (b)superior vena cava
(c)inferior vena cava (d)none of these

7. The only artery which carries deoxygenated blood is the

(a)aorta (b)pulmonary artery
(c)superior vena cava (d)inferior vena cava

8. The main artery which emerges from the left ventricle of the heart is the
(a)pulmonary artery (b)superior vena cava
(c)inferior vena cava (d)aorta

9. The colour of the red blood cells is due to

(a)haemoglobin (b)carboxyhaemoglobin
(c)carbaminohemoglobin (d)none of these

10. Blood group A has

(a)antigen A and antibody B (b)antigen B and antibody B
(c)antigen A and antibody A (d)antigen O and antibody AB

III Fill in the blanks:

1. Arteries are the blood vessels which carry blood away from the heart.
2. The heart beats at an average of 72 times per minute.
3. The pulmonary artery carries blood from heart to the lungs.
4. Oxygenated blood is found in the left side of the heart.
5. The largest artery in the body is aorta.
6. The stretching and relaxing of arteries with each heartbeat felt as throbbing is called pulse.

IV True or False:
1. Haemoglobin combines with oxygen to form carboxyhaemoglobin.
2. Leucocytes are larger than erythrocytes and contain haemoglobin.
3. Veins connect arteries with capillaries.
4. The heart is enclosed by a single membrane called pericardium.
5. Deoxygenated blood is received by the right auricle.

V Short Questions:
1. What is the circulatory system?
Ans. Human beings have a well-developed specialized system which transports nutrients, minerals,
gases and chemical substance called hormones within the body. It is known as the circulatory
system. The circulatory system consists of blood, blood vessels, heart, and lymphatic system.

2. Write three functions of the circulatory system in human beings.

Ans. Few functions of the circulatory system in human beings:
(i) Transport of nutrients, oxygen, and hormones to cells throughout the body and removal of
metabolic wastes (carbon dioxide, nitrogenous wastes).
(ii) Protection of the body by white blood cells, antibodies, and complement proteins that circulate
in the blood and defend the body against foreign microbes and toxins. Clotting mechanisms are
also present that protect the body from blood loss after injuries.
(iii)Regulation of body temperature, fluid pH, and water content of cells.

3. Name the four blood groups in human beings. On what basis are they named?
Ans. The four blood group in human beings are A, B, AB and O. They are named on the basis of
presence or absence of specific antigens.

4. What is double circulation?

Ans. The blood circulates twice through the heart for completing one round of circulation throughout
the body. This is called double circulation.

5. What prevents the blood from flowing in the wrong direction in the heart?
Ans. A thick muscular wall called the septum separates the heart into the left and right sides and
prevents the blood from flowing in the wrong direction in the heart.

6. What is the relationship between the rate of heartbeat and pulse?

Ans.

VI Long Questions:
1. What different types of cells will you see when you observe a drop of blood under a
microscope? What are their functions?
Ans.
2. What are the functions of blood?
Ans.

3. Why is a person with blood group O called a universal donor and a person with blood
group AB called a universal recipient?
Ans.

4. Explain the process of blood circulation in the body with the help of a schematic diagram.
Ans.

5. What is lymph? How is it different from blood?

Ans.