Lesson worksheet Unit 12.

7 Transport in humans

12.7 Transport in humans

Questions:
1. Do all living things have a heart?
2. Do all living things have blood vessels?
3. Why do we need a heart and blood vessels?
4. Must all blood be red in colour?

1 Need for transport system

◼ In large multicellular organisms like plants and humans, a transport system is developed to
ensure the supply of useful substances to target cells and removal of waste from the body.

2 Human circulatory system

◼ Functions of the three main parts of the human circulatory system:
Part Function
I Blood A Acts as a pump to give the force to drive blood throughout the body
II Blood vessels B Transports useful substances and waste to and from body cells
III Heart C Allow exchange of materials between blood and body cells
D Distribute blood throughout the body

I: C II: B & D III: A

A Blood
◼ Blood is a tissue composed of blood cells suspending in
plasma.

1 Plasma
◼ Plasma contains mostly water with various substances
dissolved (e.g. carbon dioxide, dissolved nutrients, wastes
and other substances) suspending in it.

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

2 Blood cells
Red blood cells White blood cells Blood platelets

Shape Biconcave disc shape Irregular shape Irregular shape

Size 7-8 μm 6-10μm / 10-29 μm 1-4μm

Colour Red due to the pigment Colourless Colourless

haemoglobin

Function Contain haemoglobin to Protect our body against Form blood clots to prevent
carry oxygen diseases by killing further blood loss and entry
bacteria that get into the of germs into our body
body

B Blood vessels
◼ There are three types of blood vessels: arteries, veins and capillaries.

i) Features of arteries
◼ The thick walls of the arteries allow the arteries to withstand high blood pressure due to the
pumping action of the heart.

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

ii) Features of veins

◼ The blood pressure is much lower than that in arteries, so they have thinner, less elastic and
less muscular wall.
◼ The large lumen of the veins reduces the resistance to the blood flow inside the veins.
◼ Valves are present in veins to prevent the backflow of blood.
◼ The force for blood flow in veins is mainly provided by the contraction of the skeletal muscles
lying next to the veins. When the muscles contract, the veins are squeezed and blood is forced
to flow towards the heart.

◼ Differences between arteries and veins:

Artery Vein

thicker layer of thinner layer of

muscles muscles
and elastic tissues and elastic tissues

smaller lumen larger lumen

Direction of Away from the heart Towards the heart

blood flow

Location Deep inside the body Closer to the body surface

Wall Thicker Thinner

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

Lumen Smaller Larger

Presence of Not present (except at the base of the Valves are present to prevent
valves pulmonary artery and the aorta) backflow of blood

Force for Provided by the pumping action of the Provided by the contraction of the
blood flow heart skeletal muscles that squeeze the vein

Blood Higher; due to the pumping action of Lower; the pressure drops after blood
pressure the heart passing through capillaries

iii) Features of capillaries

◼ Capillaries connect the arteries to the veins.

◼ In the body tissues, arterioles branch into networks of capillaries, forming capillaries bed for
exchange of materials between the blood and body cells.
◼ The lumen of capillaries is only slightly larger than the diameter of a red blood cell. The
capillary wall is made up of one-cell thick wall.
◼ The small diameter of the capillaries and slow blood flow inside allow more time for the
exchange of materials to take place.

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 Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

C Heart
1 Structure of the heart
◼ The heart is mainly made up of cardiac muscles.
◼ It consists of four chambers: the two upper chambers are called atria (singular: atrium) and the
two lower chambers are called ventricles.
◼ The coronary artery supply oxygen and nutrients to the cardiac muscles. The coronary vein
carry carbon dioxide and other waste away.
◼ The septum separates the blood in the left and right sides of the heart.
◼ The valves ensure blood flows in one direction only.

◼ Internal structure of the heart:

Aorta
Vein from upper body
Artery to the lungs

Vein from the lungs

Valves Left atrium

Right atrium

Left ventricle

Septum
Right ventricle
Key:
Vein from lower body
deoxygenated
(right) (left) blood
oxygenated
 Internal structure of the heart showing the direction of blood flow in the heart blood

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

Structure Feature and function

Atria ◼ Have a thinner muscular wall than the ventricles

◼ The right atrium receives blood from the body parts and pushes it to the right
ventricle
◼ The left atrium receives blood from the lungs and pushes it to the left
ventricle

Ventricles ◼ Have a thicker muscular wall than the atria

◼ Among the two ventricles, the left ventricle has a thicker wall because it has
to provide greater force to pump blood to all parts of the body (except the
lungs)

2 Adaptive features of heart for pumping blood

Structure Adaptation

Cardiac muscles Can contract and relax continuously without fatigue

Left ventricle Have a thick muscular wall that provides a strong force of contraction
to drive blood over a long distance to all parts of the body

Valves Prevent backflow of blood in the heart to ensure blood flow in one
direction

3 Blood circulation
◼ Pumping action of the heart

◼
1. Atria and ventricles 2. Atria contract, 3. Ventricles contract, 4. Atria and
◼ relax, so the blood can blood flows into the the blood is being ventricles relax again,
flow into the heart. ventricles. pumped out of the and the whole cycle
◼
heart. repeats.
◼

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

◼ Pathway

lungs

Artery to the lung

aorta

Veins to the heart

right
left Veins from the lung
atrium
atrium
right
left
ventricle
ventricle

all other parts of the body Key: Blood containing more O2

Blood containing less O2
 Double circulation in humans

1. Blood from all parts of the body except the lungs returns to the right atrium.
2. The right atrium contracts to squeeze blood into the right ventricle.
3. The right ventricle contracts to pump blood to the lungs through an artery.
4. Gas exchange occurs in the lungs. Oxygen gets into the blood.
5. The blood containing more oxygen returns to the left atrium through a vein.
6. The left atrium contracts to squeeze blood into the left ventricle.
7. The left ventricle contracts to pump blood to all parts of the body except the lungs through
the aorta.
8. Blood returns to the right atrium and the cycle repeats.

◼ Task: Please color the path containing more O2 in red and the path containing less O2 in
blue.

Pulmonary circulation Systemic circulation

Pathway Right atrium → right ventricle → Left atrium → left ventricle →

arteries to the lungs → lungs (gas aorta → all parts of
exchange) → the body except the lungs →
veins from the lungs → left atrium veins from body parts→ right atrium

◼ When blood flows throughout our body in one complete loop, it passes through the heart twice.
This type of circulation is called a double circulation.

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

4 Measurements
Heartbeat rate / Pulse rate Blood pressure
Principle A pulse is caused by blood being The pressure exerted by the blood on the
pumped to the aorta from the heart. walls of the arteries

Unit Beats per minutes millimetres of mercury (mmHg)

Normal 60-100 beats per minute 120/80 mm Hg

range

Instruments Oximeter Sphygmomanometer, Stethoscope

Conditions Varies with age, sex and body Varies with age (the older, the higher),
condition health conditions and mood (lower when
relaxed, higher when excited)

Oximeter Sphygmomanometer

Stethoscope

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Lesson worksheet Unit 12.7 Transport in humans

5 Checkpoint exercises
Write “T” for a true statement and “F” for a false statement in the boxes provided.
1. The volume ratio of plasma and blood cells in the blood is 1:1. F
2. Blood platelets are important for preventing germs from entering our body. T
3. The veins are the finest blood vessels in our body. F
4. The walls of arteries have muscles but the walls of the veins do not. F
5. Among the three types of blood vessels, only the veins have valves. F
6. The blood flow in the capillaries is maintained by the contraction of muscles F
lying next to the capillaries.
7. The pumping action of the heart results in pulses. T
8. The blood flows through the heart twice in one complete circulation round the T
body.

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