Circulatory System

The circulatory system transfers many essential materials around the body, including…
● Oxygen from the respiratory system
● Nutrients from the digestive system
● Hormones from the endocrine system
● Chemicals & cells from the immune system
● Metabolic wastes from the cells to the lungs and kidneys
● Thermal energy

Function:
● Allows for O2 and nutrients to get to every cell in the body
● Allows for wastes in cells to be removed from the body

Blood Vessels: ›
Arteries: carry blood away from the heart ›
Veins: carry blood toward the heart ›
Capillaries: tiny blood vessels that connect arteries and veins

Circulation to the lungs (pulmonary)

Circulation to the rest of the body (systemic)

Pulse ›
How fast your heart is beating (beats/ min)
Left ventricle pumps blood out of heart to the arteries ›
Causes arteries to expand and then relax after blood has passed through ›
You can feel pulse in arteries that are close to surface
Types of Circulatory Systems:
A circulatory system has 3 key features
1. A fluid that transports or circulates materials throughout the body
2. A network of tubes in which the fluid circulates
3. A pump that pushes the fluid through the tubes

Animals with no circulatory system:

● Unicellular organisms can function without one because they directly exchange gases with the environment

● Some simple multicellular organisms do not have one either, but instead depend on an internal body cavity
lining covered in flagella to circulate fluid through the body

Open Circulatory System

The circulating fluid (hemolymph) is pumped into a connected system of body cavities, called sinuses.

● Hemolymph: a mixture of blood and tissue fluid

● Contraction of 1+ hearts forces hemolymph through the sinuses
● Most invertebrates (e.g. snails, insects) have this type of system
This is an inefficient method of circulation because the hemolymph is under low pressure and circulates slowly.
● Practical for animals with low metabolic rates (and therefore have lower oxygen and energy demands)

Closed Circulatory System

The fluid, often blood, is contained within a network of tubes called blood vessels.
● The blood and tissue fluid are always separate
● All vertebrates and some complex invertebrates have this
A closed system includes 1 of 5 versions of an increasingly complex “heart” structure dependent on their evolution.

1. Aortic arch: found in earthworms; enlarged blood vessels that pump blood through the system

2. Two-chambered heart: commonly found in fish

3. Three-chambered heart: commonly found in amphibians

4. Four-chambered heart with an incomplete septum: found in reptiles

5. Four-chambered heart with a complete septum separating the ventricle in 2: found in mammals, birds
 The Cardiac Cycle
A complete heartbeat is called a cardiac cycle.
● Involves a full contraction and relaxation of each heart chamber, is divided into 2 basic phases:
○ Diastole phase: when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood
○ Systole phase: when the heart contracts and is emptying

Regulation of the Heart Rhythm

The heart muscle (myogenic muscle), is able to contract and relax on its own without stimulation from nerves.
The contractions are initiated by a group of cells in the right atrium called the sinoatrial (SA) node.

Sinoatrial (SA) Node:

At the top of the heart and acts like a pacemaker
Sends impulse for the atria to contract and start pumping blood

The Cardiac Cycle:

ECG (Electrocardiogram):
Electrocardiograph: Measures the duration and strength of the electrical signals which produces an ECG
Your heart sends an electrical impulse through it each time it beats.
An EKG measures those impulses into waves (atria contracting and ventricles contracting)

Blood pressure
The pressure blood exerts on the walls due to the contractions from the heart of the circulatory system
● Pressure increases when your heart is contracting and decreases when your heart relaxes

Sphygmomanometer: Instrument to measure blood pressure

● A cuff is wrapped around the arm and measures the pressure of the brachial artery
● systolic pressure (when heart is contracting) over diastolic pressure (when heart is resting)

Hypertension vs. Hypotension

Hypertension:
● High blood pressure (140/90 or higher)
● Stress on blood vessels
Hypotension:
● Low blood pressure (100/60 or below)
● Less strain on blood vessels
● Could be a sign of not enough blood flow to body