LIFE PROCESSES – TRANSPORTATION IN HUMAN BEINGS PART-I

BLOOD
 BLOOD PLATELETS
• Platelets are minute fragments of blood cells
that help in the formation of clots in the body
to stop bleeding.
• Any damage in the blood vessels sends
signals to the platelets. The platelets rush to
the site of damage and form clots to repair
the damage.
• The activated platelets stick together to form
a platelet plug which in turn activates the
coagulation factor. Vitamin K is beneficial for
the proper functioning of the coagulation
factor
FUNCTIONS OF BLOOD

Transport of nutrients to all body parts.

Transport of excretory products like urea, uric acid and ammonia.
Transport of respiratory gases.
Regulation of pH and body temperature.
Protection against diseases due to the presence of WBCs.
Transport of hormones from their site of synthesis to their site of action.
Platelets present in blood form a clot at the site on injury to prevent further loss of blood.
BLOOD VESSELS
There are 3 main types of blood vessels
involved in blood circulation –

Arteries (carries blood from the heart to

different body parts)

Veins (brings blood back to the heart

from different parts of the body)

Capillaries (blood vessels which help in

exchange of materials between blood
and the surrounding cells)
ARTERIES
It is the blood vessel which carries oxygenated
blood away from the heart towards any organ
(exception – pulmonary artery which carries
deoxygenated blood from the heart to the
lungs)
It has thick muscular walls.
The lumen (central bore) inside the artery is
narrow.
The blood in it flows in spurts (gush out in a
sudden and forceful stream) which correspond
to the ventricular contractions of the heart.
They don’t have valves in their inner lining as
the blood flows with great pressure, so there is
no chance of backflow.
Artery divides into smaller branches called
arterioles which ultimately leads into capillaries.
VEINS
It is the blood vessel which carries
de-oxygenated blood from the different body
organs to the heart (exception – pulmonary
vein which carries oxygenated blood from the
lungs to the heart)
It has thin muscular walls.
Veins have a wider lumen.
The blood inside the veins flows uniformly.
It contains thin pocket-shaped valves to
prevent the backflow of blood.
A venule is a very small blood vessel in the
microcirculation that allows blood to return
from the capillary beds to drain into the
larger blood vessels, the veins.
CONNECTION BETWEEN ARTERIES, CAPILLARIES AND VEINS
DIFFERENCEs BETWEEN ARTERIES AND
VEINS
ARTERIES
Carry blood away from heart to different
organs.
Carry oxygenated blood (except pulmonary
artery).
Have thick muscular walls.
Walls are elastic.
Have narrow lumen.
Have no valves in their inner lining.
Usually placed deeper in our body.
Blood flows with jerks and under great
pressure.
VEINS
Carry blood back to the heart from different
organs.
Carry deoxygenated blood (except pulmonary
vein).
Have thin and less muscular walls.
Walls are non-elastic.
Have wider lumen.
Have valves in their inner lining to prevent the
backflow of blood.
Usually more superficial (nearer to the skin).
Blood flows smoothly under little pressure.
CAPILLARIES
Capillaries are the smallest blood
vessels. They are meant to exchange
materials between the blood and
surrounding body cell. They have a
diameter of approximately 8
micrometer. The walls of capillaries are
made up of a single layer of squamous
epithelial cells.

Function of capillaries:
▪ They connect the arteries and veins.
▪ They perform the function of exchange
of food materials, gases and metabolic
wastes.
HUMAN HEART
The heart is a muscular organ
whose size is as big as our fist. It is
situated in between the lungs,
slightly tilted towards the left.

Protected by a double membranous

covering called pericardium and
enclosed within a rib cage.

The human heart is 4-chambered.

The left and right chambers are
separated by a muscular
auriculoventricular septum which
prevents mixing of oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood.
DIFFERENT CHAMBERS OF HUMAN HEART

❑ ATRIUM/AURICLES – (Upper chambers) There are 2

atrium, i.e. left and right separated by interauricular
septum. Auricles have thinner walls.

❑ VENTRICLES – (Lower chambers) The 2 ventricles, i.e.

left and right are separated by the interventricular
septum. Ventricles have thicker walls compared to the
auricles. Since ventricles have to pump blood into
various organs and the pressure of the blood flowing in
them is more than that of it in the auricles,
therefore, ventricles have thicker muscular walls
than the auricles.
VALVES PRESENT IN THE HEART
The human heart has 4 valves – one for each chamber of the heart.
The valves keep blood moving throughout the heart in one direction
and prevents the backflow of blood. The 4 valves are as follows:-

TRICUSPID VALVE – located between the right auricle and right

ventricle.

BICUSPID VALVE (MITRAL VALVE) – located between the left auricle

and left ventricle.

PULMONARY SEMILUNAR VALVE – located between the right

ventricle and pulmonary artery.

AORTIC SEMILUNAR VALVE – located between the left ventricle and

aorta.
DOUBLE CIRCULATION
A type of circulation in which blood flows through the heart twice is called double circulation. This type
of circulatory system has separate systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation.

❑ 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. In this
pathway:
• 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.
IMPORTANCE OF DOUBLE CIRCULATION
• In birds and mammals, double circulation supports a strict
separation of both oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
This allows a highly efficient supply of oxygen to the body. This
is because these animals have high energy needs. They use
this energy to maintain their body temperature and are called
warm-blooded animals.

• Double circulation gives the ability to create more pressure to

pump blood round the whole body system.