Blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body. It is able to do this because of the circulatory system inside the body. The heart beat pumps blood throughout the body. As the blood is pumped, it travels through the body by the means of a circulatory system. The circulatory system is composed of a system of blood vessels. The vessels are elastic tubes, which vary in diameter, that carry blood to all parts of the body (Solomon, Berg, & Martin, 2008).
Arteries, capillaries, and veins are the three main types of blood vessels. These blood vessels make up the vascular system in the body. An artery is a blood vessel that has a thick muscular and elastic wall and a large diameter. The main function of an artery is to carry blood that is rich in oxygen away from the heart to all parts of the body. The aorta is the main artery of the heart. All blood that leaves the heart is fed through the aorta to the rest of the body. As the aorta starts to get farther away from the heart, the diameter of the blood vessel starts to decrease and it begins to branch off. It branches into arterioles which are just smaller arteries (Clinic, 2014).
The arterioles do not stay the same diameter as they make their way through the body. They are eventually branched into smaller blood vessels called capillaries. Capillaries are blood vessels that have a diameter about the size of a piece of hair. The walls of the capillaries are extremely thin. They are only about one cell thick. This allows for an easy exchange of substances between the capillaries and other tissues/cells of the body (Clinic, 2014).
Capillaries are the bridge between arterioles and venules. The branching network of the capillaries is called a capillary bed, and this is what ...
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Another exception to the vascular system is how certain areas of the body channel the blood back into the venules. The brain, for example, has the blood enter large dural sinuses (cavities) instead of the usual venules after the gas and nutrient exchange has occurred. An other example is the blood that drains from the digestive organs. This blood has to first flow through the liver to be filtered before it can retrun to the normal systemic circulation (Marieb, 2001).
Works Cited
Cleveland Clinic. (2014). How Does Blood Travel Through Your Body? Retrieved on February 18, 2014 from http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/heart-blood-vessels/how-does-blood-travel-through-body.aspx
Marieb, E. N. (2001). Human Anatomy and Physiology (5th ed.). USA: Benjamin Cummings.
Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R., & Martin, D. W. (2008). Biology (8th ed). USA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Miller, K. R., & Levine, J. S. (2010). Miller & Levine biology. Boston, Mass.: Pearson.
3 Leicht B. G., McAllister B.F. 2014. Foundations of Biology 1411, 2nd edition. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press. Pp 137, 163-168, 177-180,
The smallest arteries are called arterioles and they play a vital role in microcirculation. Microcirculation deals with the circulation of blood from arterioles to capillaries to venules the smallest veins. The liver, spleen and bone marrow contain vessel structures called sinusoids instead of capillaries. In these structures blood flows from arterioles to sinusoids to venules.
The cardiovascular system - The cardiovascular system is responsible for transporting nutrients and removing gaseous waste from the body. It consists of the heart, which powers the whole process, the veins, arteries, and capillaries, which deliver oxygen to tissue at the cellular level. The cardiovascular system carries blood that is low in oxygen away from the heart to the lungs via arteries, where oxygen levels are restored through the air once oxygenated, this blood is then carried throughout the body via arteries, keeping our organs and tissue alive. The cardiovascular system is the workhorse of the body, continuously moving to push blood to the cells. If this important system ceases its work, the body dies.
Thewessen, J. G. M., Williams, E. M., Roe, L. J. & Hussain, S. T. Nature 413, 277-281.
The Structure and Functions of the Arteries Arteries are blood vessels that convey blood from the heart to the tissues of the body. The arteries expand and then constrict with each beat of the heart, a rhythmic movement that may be felt as the pulse. Arteries are usually named from the part of the body that they are found, for example; brachial artery found in the arms, metacarpal artery found in the wrist; or from the organ which they supply as the hepatic artery supplies the liver, pulmonary artery brings deoxygenated blood the lungs. The facial artery is the branch of the external carotid artery that passes up over the lower jaw and supplies the superficial portion of the face; the haemorrhoidal arteries are three vessels that supply the lower end of the rectum; the intercostal arteries are the arteries that supply the space between the ribs; the lingual artery is the branch of the external carotid artery that supplies the tongue. The structure of the artery enables it to perform its function more efficiently.
The heart, blood and blood vessels make up the cardiovascular system. The function of the cardiovascular system is to evenly distribute blood cells, water and nutrients. The cardiovascular system helps send blood to the body’s tissues. The heart is a muscle and the most important part of the cardiovascular system. Heart attacks, heart failure, and abnormal heart beat is a serious issue for the cardiovascular system these can sometimes lead to death. These diseases affect the heart and its functions (Heart and Cardiovascular disease 2005).
The heart is one of the most unique organs in the human body. Its capabilities and functions truly are amazing. The heart 's function is to pump blood throughout the body supplying oxygen and nutrients to tissues. The heart is the size of your fist and weighs roughly 8-12 ounces depending if you’re male or female. The heart pumps through 100 kilometers of blood vessels for blood that is 3 to 4 times thicker than water at 60 to 80 times minute for a total volume of 5 million liters a year at rest. A basic diagram of the heart includes, right coronary, superior vena cava, aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle. There are more in
Within the lymph vessels, the lymph is screened and checked for pathogenic organisms, bacteria and dead cells at sites along the vessel network called lymph nodes. There are many lymph nodes within the vessel network of varying sizes that have numerous vessel entry points, but only one exit vessel point per node. There are 4-5 nodes per vessel and after the lymph has been screened by the first node, it travels onto the second, third etc., and can pass through as many as 8 before it reaches the subclavian ducts. This allows the nodes to analyse the lymph and act accordingly. If the node detects a pathogen, it releases antibodies called lymphocytes (white blood cells) to attack the foreign body and destroy it. The node also ...
They arise in the interstitial spaces of organs and tissues and they then join with the large veins just before they enter the vena cava of the heart. These lymphatic vessels tend to run parallel with the veins which allows filtration to occur. The vessels are non- muscular and contain valves which stop the fluid from going back. (Hastie, 2012).
Miller, K. R., & Levine, J. S. (2010). Miller & Levine biology. Boston, Mass: Pearson
walls of the veins are permeable to H2O at this point, starving the rest of the
The Circulatory System is a transportation and cooling system for the body. The Red Blood Cells act like billions of little mail men carrying all kinds of things that are needed by the cells, also RBC's carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells. All cells in the body require oxygen to remain alive. Also there is another kind of cells called white blood cells moving in the system. Why blood cells protect from bacteria and other things that are harmful. The Circulatory system contains vein arteries, veins are used to carry blood to the heart and arteries to carry the blood away. The blood inside veins is where most of the oxygen and nutrients are and is called deoxygenated and the color of the blood is dark red. However, blood in the arteries are also full of oxygen but is a bright red. The main components of the circulatory system are the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
The roles of the circulatory and respiratory system both carry important responsibilities and are essential in their jobs to the human body. The circulatory system is one, if not the, most important system in the human body. The circulatory system is made up of the heart, blood, and blood vessels. Within the blood vessels, there are three types: arteries, veins, and capillaries. The heart is an organ made up of cardiac muscle that has a role similar to a pump. When the muscles in the heart contract, it pumps fresh blood away from the heart, through a main artery called the aorta, and to the organs and cells of the body. Nutrients and oxygen then enter the cells through diffusion of the tissues. The respiratory system transports oxygen to the circulatory system. When transporting oxygen to the circulatory system, this will in turn transport oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body. Aside from transporting oxygen to the body, the respiratory system also plays a role in the removal of carbon dioxide and other contaminants in the body. These two systems effectively and efficiently work together in order to supply the body with oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and any other