Circulatory system

Transport of material (Gases, nutrients, wastes, and hormones)

Circulatory system
• Living things must be capable of transporting
nutrients, wastes and gases to and from cells.

• Single-celled organisms use their cell surface as a

point of exchange with the outside environment.

• Multicellular organisms have developed transport

and circulatory systems to deliver oxygen and food
to cells and remove carbon dioxide and metabolic
wastes.
Human circulatory system
• The human circulatory system consists of a network
of arteries, veins, and capillaries, with the heart
pumping blood through it.

• Its primary role is to provide essential nutrients,

minerals, and hormones to various parts of the
body.

• Alternatively, the circulatory system is also

responsible for collecting metabolic waste and
toxins from the cells and tissues to be purified or
expelled from the body.
Importance of the circulatory system
• Carries oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to every cell in the body.

• Efficiently removes waste products, including carbon dioxide from

breathing and other chemical byproducts from organs.

• Plays a key role in maintaining a stable internal environment by

distributing vital substances, removing waste, and regulating body
temperature.

• Helps deliver immune cells to sites of infection, supporting the body’s

defense mechanism.

• Contain substances that contribute to the repair of damaged tissues.

• Works in conjunction with the respiratory system, delivering blood to

and from the lungs and supporting gas exchange.
Types of circulatory systems

• Animals that have a circulatory system have one of

two kinds:
• Open: fluid is circulated through an open body
chamber.
• Closed: fluid is circulated through blood vessels.
 Open system
• Arthropods and most
molluscs have an open
circulatory system.

• Haemolymph is pumped
into the body cavity, the
haemocoel.

• A series of hearts
circulates the fluid.
Internal organs are
bathed in the fluid.

• Fluid flow is slow.

 Closed system
• Vertebrates, annelid
worms, and a few
mollusks have a closed
circulatory system.

• Blood is moved through

blood vessels by the
heart’s action. It does not
come in direct contact
with body organs.

• It is further classified into

single and double
circulatory systems
 Single circulation
• In a single circulatory system, the blood will pass
through the heart to gills, then after purification,
blood will be distributed to different parts of the
body.

• Only one cardiac cycle is completed, hence the

name single circulation.

• Single circulation is mainly seen in birds, fish,

reptiles, etc.
 Double circulation
• The heart is the key organ for blood circulation
and the double circulation is highly efficient.

• Here, blood follows two completely separate

routes – one for oxygenated blood (systemic
circulation) and the other for deoxygenated blood
(pulmonary circulation).

• The majority of mammals, including humans

utilize a double circulatory system.
 Systemic circulation
 Systemic circulation carries oxygenated blood from the left
ventricles to the tissue capillaries.

• The oxygen-rich blood is transferred to the aorta for circulating into

various parts of the body.

• Later, the veins and venules collect the deoxygenated blood –

which is rich in carbon dioxide from various parts of the body.

• The deoxygenated blood is pumped back into the superior vena

cava and then to the right atrium.

• Once, after receiving the deoxygenated blood, the right atrium

carries blood to the right ventricle for pulmonary circulation.
 Pulmonary circulation
 In the pulmonary circulation, the blood circulation starts
from the right atrium to the left atrium.

• The pulmonary artery collects the blood from the right

ventricle and carries to lungs for oxygenation.

• Once, after the purification process, the oxygenated blood

is pumped back to the left atrium through the pulmonary
vein which is carried to the left ventricles.

• The left ventricles pump the oxygenated blood to the aorta

for systemic circulation.
Structure and
Function
 Structure
• Circulatory systems generally have three main
features:
• Fluid (blood or haemolymph) that transports
materials (both wastes & nutrients).
• A heart to pump the fluid through the vessels
• System of blood vessels
Blood
 Components

• Blood is made up of four major components:

• Plasma: the liquid portion. Contains dissolved
nutrients, hormones, gases.
• Red blood cells: transport oxygen
• White blood cells: defenses against invaders
• Platelets: help form blood clots
 Red Blood Cells

• RBCs are disc-shaped cells that

lose their nucleus at maturity.

• Make up about 99% of the

blood’s cellular component.

• Red colouration is due to

haemoglobin.

• Some organisms have other

colourations, e.g. haemocyanin
and haemocruorin
 Hemoglobin

• Hemoglobin is a complex
protein made up of four protein
strands. Iron is used to form
haeme groups.

• Each haemoglobin molecule

can carry four oxygen atoms.
The presence of oxygen turns
haemoglobin bright red.
 RBC lifespan
• RBCs live about 4 months.
Iron from haemoglobin is
recycled in the liver and
spleen.

• The hormone
erythropoeitin, made by the
kidneys, stimulates the
production of RBCs in red
bone marrow.
 Thinking question
• One of the illegal drugs that
some top Olympic athletes
have been caught using is
erythropoetin.
• What would this hormone do
that would give athletes an
edge in competitions?
 White blood cells
• White blood cells defend
against disease by
recognizing xenobiotics
(foreign bodies).

• They are able to ooze

through the walls of
capillaries to patrol the
tissues and reach the
lymph system.
 Platelets

• Platelets are cell

fragments used in
blood clotting.

• Platelets are derived

from megakaryocites.
Because they lack a
nucleus, platelets have
a short lifespan, usually
about 10 days.
 Blood clotting
• Platelets aggregate at
the site of a wound.

• Broken cells and

platelets release
chemicals to stimulate
thrombin production.

• Thrombin converts the

protein fibrinogen into
sticky fibrin, which
binds the clot.
 Thinking question

• If a person had a defect in the gene for

fibrinogen, what health problems could
this cause?
• Can you mention some of the diseases
of blood cells that you know?
Blood Vessels
Classes of blood vessels
• Blood vessels fall into three major
classes:
• Arteries and arterioles carry blood
away from the heart.
• Veins and venules carry blood to the
heart.
• Capillaries allow exchange of nutrients,
wastes and gases.
 Arteries
• Arteries are thick-
walled and lined
with smooth
muscle.

• Carry blood under

high pressure.

• Arteries expand
with each heart
beat, and contract
afterwards, helping
to move blood.
 Arteries
• The aorta is the main artery leaving the heart.

• The pulmonary artery is the only artery that carries

oxygen-poor blood to the lungs.
 Arterioles
• Arterioles are small arteries that connect larger arteries
with capillaries.

• Small arterioles branch into collections of capillaries

known as capillary beds.

• Arterioles can constrict to direct and control blood

flow.

• They may, for example, increase blood supply to the

skin to allow more heat to dissipate, or constrict during
stress to redirect blood to the heart and muscles.
 Capillaries
• Body tissues contain a
vast network of thin
capillaries.

• Capillary walls are only

one cell thick, allowing
exchange of gases,
nutrients, and wastes.

• Capillaries are so fine

that RBCs must line up
single-file to go through
them.
 Venules
• Venules are thin-walled collectors of
blood.
• Low pressure in the venules allows the
capillary beds to drain into them.
 Veins
• Veins have thinner
walls than arteries.

• Contraction of skeletal
muscles helps move
blood up the limbs and
back to the heart.

• Valves in the veins

prevents backflow of
blood.
 Veins
• With the exception of the pulmonary veins, blood
in veins is oxygen-poor.

• The pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from

lungs back to the heart.

• Pressure in veins is so low, so veins depend on

muscular contractions to move blood along.
 Vascular impairments;
Atherosclerosis
• LDL cholesterol forms
plaques in arteries,
triggering inflammation.

• The immune system forms

a hard cap over the plaque,
partially blocking the artery.

• Caps can rupture, creating

clots that can close off an
artery.
Heart
 The Heart
 The heart is a muscular structure that contracts in a
rhythmic pattern to pump blood.

 Hearts have a variety of forms: chambered hearts

in molluscs and vertebrates, tubular hearts of
arthropods, and aortic arches of annelids.

 Accessory hearts are used by insects to boost or

supplement the main heart’s functions.

 Fish, reptiles, and amphibians have lymph hearts

that help pump lymph back into the veins.
 The Vertebrate Heart
 Vertebrate hearts are separated into two types of
chambers
• Atria (singular: atrium) (upper chamber of the
heart): receive blood from body or lungs.
Contractions of the atria send blood through a
valve to the ventricles.
• Ventricles (lower chamber of the heart): receive
blood from atria, contract to send blood to body
or lungs.
 The heart muscle is made up of cardiac muscle
cells
 Two-chambered heart

• The simplest vertebrate

heart is the two-chambered
heart, seen in fishes.

• A single atrium receives

blood from the body cells.

• A ventricle sends blood to

the gills to collect oxygen.
 Three-chambered heart

• Separate atria allow some

separation of oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood, which was an
advantage for land organisms
(reptiles, amphibians).
• Though blood can mix in the
ventricle, mixing is minimal.
• Some reptiles have partial
separation of the ventricle.
 Four-chambered heart
• The four-chambered heart,
seen in birds and mammals,
allows complete separation of
oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood.

• Complete separation is
necessary to support a fast
metabolism found in
homeotherms.
“Dual pump” operation

The four-chambered heart acts as two pumps.

Heart Anatomy
 Cardiac cycle
• The heart beats or contracts approximately 70
times per minute.

• The human heart will undergo over 3 billion

contraction cycles during a normal lifetime.

• A cardiac cycle is a sequence of events in a single

heartbeat, encompassing both the contraction
(systole) and relaxation (diastole) of the heart’s
chambers.
 Cardiac cycle
• One heartbeat, or cardiac cycle includes atrial
contraction and relaxation, ventricular contraction
and relaxation, a short pause.

• Normal cardiac cycles take 0.8 seconds.

 Thinking questions
• What heart defects or diseases do you know?

 Blockage of coronary arteries – usually the result of

gradual buildup of lipids and cholesterol in the inner
wall.

 Hypertension, a high blood pressure above 140/90.

 Preventing heart attacks

• Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to

atherosclerosis.
• Blood LDL cholesterol can be reduced by a low-fat
diet that emphasizes high-fiber foods and “good”
fats (monounsaturated fats, omega-3 oils).
• Regular exercise also helps reduce LDL cholesterol.