TRANSPORT SYSTEM

The transport system consists of organs that carry materials from

where they are produced to parts of utilisation or removal in
organisms.
TRANSPORT IN UNICELLULAR / SMALL ORGANISMS
This is by diffusion for the following reasons
- Unicellular organisms have large surface area to volume ratio
- Size and thickness is small allowing materials to be
transported to very short distance very rapidly.
- Material are in small quantities
- Diffusion is enough in transporting materials in the body of
small/ unicellular organisms for the above stated reasons.
Therefore, an elaborate transport system is not necessary.
NEEDS/IMPORTANCE OF AN EFFECTIVE TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN
LARGE / MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS
In multicellular organisms diffusion is inefficient for transportation
of materials for some reasons which create needs for a transport
system
i. Large organisms have small surface area to volume ratio
ii. Large quantities of materials are distributed round the body
which cannot be carried by diffusion.
iii. Organs/tissues are distant from one another in complex
organisms.
iv. Unneeded/useful substances produced by one organ have to
be taken to a removing organ or storage organs.
TWO forms of transportation in animals
CLOSED CIRCULATION AND OPEN CIRCULATION
OPEN CIRCULATIONS: The simple heart pumps blood through
vessels into body space haemoceol. The haemoceol surround the
organs. The blood comes directly in contact with the organs. Most
importantly the blood lacks haemoglobin. E.g. Insects, snails, spiders
(all arthropods).
CLOSED CIRCULATION: The blood circulates in a continuous series of
vessels like arteries, veins and capillaries. This happens in all
vertebrates
The heart that pumps blood is complex and divided into chambers.
2 TYPES OF CLOSED CIRCULATION
 Single circulation occurs in FISHES; they have just 2
chambers of heart. The blood passes through the heart once.
 Double circulation occurs in birds and mammals; they have 4
chambers of heart. Therefore the blood passes through heart
twice.
2 TYPES OF DOUBLE CIRCULATION
 THE PULMONARY CIRCULATION: this is the blood circulation
between the heart and the lungs. This is done by pulmonary
artery and pulmonary vein.
 SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION: This takes blood (that is
oxygenated) from the heart to all parts of the body and back
to the heart again. The role of the systematic circulation is to
transport products of digestion, oxygen, hormones and other
substances to all parts of the body and collect excretory
products.

MATERIALS FOR TRANSPORTATION

IN ANIMALS:
(i) Products of digestion (amino acids, vitamins, glucose, fatty
acids and glycerol, mineral salts, water) from alimentary
canal to living cells where they are utilised e.g. for
respiration, tissue repair etc.
(ii) Oxygen from lungs to cells for tissue respiration
 (iii)Excretory products – CO2, urea, excess salt, excess water to
points of removal
(i) Hormones from endocrine glands to target organs
(ii) Antibodies produced by white blood cells to organs where
they defend the body.
IN PLANTS:
(i) Water from the soil absorbed by roots and transported to other
plant parts
(ii) Mineral salts from the soil
(iii) Manufactured food from leaves translocated to stem, fruits,
roots, seeds etc.
(iv) Oxygen for respiration via stomata
(v) Excretory products e.g. O2, CO2, water
(vi) Plant hormones
MEDIA OF TRANSPORTATION
Fluids are the media of transportation in organisms/plants and
animals. Materials are dissolved in the fluids, i.e., carried in solution
for transportation.
Media of transport in plants: (i) cell sap (ii) latex
Media of transport in animals: (i) blood (ii) lymph.

THE MAMMALIAN BLOOD: COMPONENTS, STRUCTURE AND

FUNCTION
COMPONENTS: The blood is made up of
 Blood cells like red blood cells, white blood cells and
platelets.
 Plasma- a watery fluid in which living cells float. Contained in
the plasma are majorly water, glucose, amino acids, carbon-
dioxide, salts in solution, hormones, antigens, waste
materials and plasma proteins (globulins, albumins and
fibrinogen).
TYPES OF BLOOD CELLS
I. RED BLOOD CELLS (Erythrocytes): characteristics
 Non-nucleated
 Flat and circular (biconcave disc)
 Enveloped in an elastic membrane
 Contains oxygen-carrying pigment (haemoglobin) which gives
the characteristic red colour. Life span is short (about 3
months). Its main function is to transport oxygen from lungs
to the body. Erythrocytes are produced in the bone marrow
and liver.
II. WHITE BLOOD CELLS (Leucocytes):
 Nucleus present
 Larger than red blood cells but fewer in number
 They are amoeboid in shape (no shape)
 They are colourless
 Life span is only a few days. They defend the body against
pathogens (diseases). They are formed in bone marrow and
lymph nodes. They are categorised into
 Phagocytes: they fight pathogens by engulfing them
 Lymphocytes: they fight pathogens by producing anti-
toxins
 Granulocytes – have granular cytoplasm and lobed nucleus
 Agranulocytes – have clear cytoplasm and oval-shaped
nucleus.
III. PLATELETS:
 They are tiny irregular cell fragments.
 They may be round or oval in shape
 They are non-nucleated
 They are fewer in number and size than red blood cells.
 Formed in large bone marrow cells. They aid clotting of
blood.
FUNCTIONS OF THE MAMMALIAN BLOOD
 For transportation of digested food
 Transports soluble excretory materials like urea, CO2 to
excretory organs.
 Transports hormones from endocrine glands to target organs
 Distributes excess heat to maintain a constant body
temperature.
 Red blood cells through its haemoglobin transports oxygen
from lungs to all parts of the body.
 White blood cells defend the body against diseases
 Transports water and mineral salts round the body.
 Thrombocytes help in blood clotting
 Antibodies and lymphocytes carried by blood increases the
immunity of the body.
STRUCTURE OF THE MAMMALIAN HEART
The heart is the muscular pumping organ of the body. It has four
chambers which are
(i) The left auricle
(ii) The left ventricle
(iii) The right auricle (atrium)
(iv) The right ventricle.
NB.
 The right part of the heart conducts deoxygenated blood
while the left conducts oxygenated blood.
 The left ventricle is muscular that other heart parts because
it pumps blood with high pressure to distant organs of the
body.
 The heart has cardiac muscles, the heart is surrounded by
coronary arteries and veins.
THE HEART BEAT:
 I. DIASTOLE: Ventricles relax; auricles (atria) contract. The
auricles contract to discharge blood into the ventricles.
II. SYSTOLE: Ventricles contract, auricles (atria) relax. As the
auricles relax, to be filled with blood.

Blood vessels
connect the heart to all the part of the body. These blood vessels are
three which are arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries overlying the
outside of the heart are called coronary arteries.
Arteries
 They have thick, muscular and elastic wall
 They transport blood at high pressure
 They transport oxygenated blood except from pulmonary
artery
 They lack valves
 They have pulse wave action
 They carry blood from the heart
Veins
 ...They have thin wall compared to arteries
 Less muscular and elastic vessels
 They transport de-oxygenated blood except from pulmonary
vein.
 They transport blood at low pressure compared to arteries.
 They transport blood to the heart.
 They have valves
N.B. Artery branches into arterioles while vein branches into
venules.
Capillaries are thin-walled (one cell thick) blood vessels that connect
arteries to veins. Capillaries form at the junction between arterioles
and venules.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ARTERIES AND VEINS
ARTERIES VEINS
Carry blood away from the heart Carry blood into the heart
Blood flows rapidly under high Blood flows slowly under low
pressure pressure
Possess narrow lumen (passage) Possess wide lumen
They are thick-walled Are thin-walled
Have elastic walls Walls are inelastic
Have no valves Valves are present
They are deep – seated in the They are superficially seated in
body the body
Blood is bright red in arteries Blood is dark or dull red than
veins
All arteries carry oxygenated All veins carry de-oxygenated
blood except the pulmonary blood except the pulmonary vein.
artery

EXAMPLES OF ARTERIES AND VEINS

Arteries
Carotid takes blood from aorta to
the head
Subclavian: takes blood from aorta
to the hands.
Hepatic: takes blood from the
Veins
Jugular takes blood from the
head to the vena cava
Subclavian takes blood from
the hands back to the heart
Hepatic takes blood from
aorta to the liver
Renal takes blood from the heart
to the kidney
Iliac takes blood from the heart to
the legs
Mesenteric takes blood from the
heart to the stomach and intestine
Coronary supplies oxygenated
blood to the wall and muscles of
the heart.
Pulmonary transports
deoxygenated blood from the
heart to the lungs.
the liver back to the heart
Renal takes blood from the
kidney back to the heart
Iliac takes blood from the
legs back to the heart
Hepatic portal vein takes
blood with digested food
from the small intestine to
the liver.
Coronary takes
deoxygenated blood from
the wall and muscles of the
heart.
Pulmonary transports
oxygenated blood from the
lungs back to the heart.

TRANSPORT IN PLANTS
The transport vessels in plants are
 Xylem (wood)
 phloem
Xylem transports mineral salts and water to leaves.
The forces responsible for the rise of water up in xylem are
 Root pressure: causes water to move across the root cells
into the xylem vessels.
 Capillary action: enables water to rise up in xylem vessel
 Transpiration pull: this forces water up to the leaves as
transpiration occurs.
IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPIRATION
 For distribution of water round the plant body.
  Enables dissolved minerals to be transported to all plant
parts.
 It helps to cool leaf surfaces.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE RATE OF TRANSPIRATION
 Humidity: the higher the humidity the lower the rate of
transpiration
 Temperature: the higher the temperature the higher the rate
of transpiration
 Light intensity: the higher the light intensity the higher the
transpiration
 Wind: faster the movement of air the higher the rate of
transpiration.
 No. Of stomata, the more the no. Of stomata the higher the
rate of transpiration.
The phloem transport (translocates) manufactured food from leaves
to other parts of the plants.
Experiment to show that xylem conduct water and minerals and that
phloem conducts manufactured food e.g. glucose are demonstrated
on pg 316 and 317 modern Biology new edition.