Transport in Animals

May 2012
The Importance of a Transport System

 Exchange materials with external

environment
 Materials are
 taken in
 distributed around the body
 waste produced removed
 products are moved to various sites for use
The Importance of a Transport System

 Diffusion and Osmosis

 Surface area to volume ratio
 large enough for small organisms
 E.g. protozoa, algae, flatworm
 larger organisms have smaller sa-vr
 Distance between cells and external environment
increases
 Diffusion therefore inefficient
The Importance of a Transport System

 Special absorptive surfaces

 E.g. gills, lungs, alimentary canal, leaves and
roots
 Distribution of materials rapidly through
transport systems
 Between cells and special absorptive structures
 Between different parts of the body
The Importance of a Transport System

 Fluid medium
 Conducting structures
 Mechanisms for maintaining flow
 List the fluids that transport substances in
 Plants

 Animals

 List the conducting structures found in

 Plants

 Animals

 Describe the mechanisms for maintaining the flow of substances

in
 Plants

 Animals
Substances transport systems carry
 Useful materials
 Gases
 Respiratory surfaces to cells
 Plants – CO2 from leaves and stems to photosynthesizing
tissues
 Nutrients
 Carbohydrates, amino acids, etc. from gut in animals and leaves
in plants to the rest of the cells used for
 respiration, growth and other metabolic processes
 Hormones
 Produced in a particular site but used at another site
 They control processes such as growth, reproduction and the
functioning of other systems
 Other Substances
 Antibodies, blood proteins in animals
Substances transport systems carry
 Wastes
 Products made during metabolic reactions in the organism
that cannot be allowed to accumulate
 Carbon dioxide
 Nitrogenous materials
 Plants produce insignificant amounts of nitrogenous waste
 Calcium oxalate and other substances

 Where are these products produced?

 What are the processes that produce them?
 Where do they go to to be eliminated?
Substances transport systems carry
 Harmful materials
 Toxins
 (Waste materials can also be classified as
harmful)
 Heat
 Active tissues
 Muscle cells, liver cells
 Respiration by-product and other reactions
 Enzyme activity effects
 Temperature control
Small Organisms vs Larger Ones

 Small organisms exchange materials

efficiently by diffusion. Why is this method not
suitable for larger organisms?

 Small organisms have large SA/V ratios

 The diffusion distances involved are small
 Larger organisms have smaller SA/V ratio
 Greater diffusion distances are involved
 Diffusion is a slow process
Features of Absorptive Structures

 Gills, Lungs, Alimentary canal, etc.

 Have high SA/V ratio

 Are permeable to the substances which pass through
them
 Are kept moist
 Have rich supplies of transport tissues (blood, etc.)
Transportation Medium

 In Plants
 Cell sap
 Water and mineral ions

 In Man
 Blood
Transport system – tubes
 In Plants
 Xylem
 Phloem

 In Man
 Veins
 Arteries
 Capillaries

Draw diagrams to illustrate the structure of each tube listed

above.
Transport Mechanisms

 In Plants
 Transpiration
 Capillarity
 Root Pressure

 In Man
 Heart
Circulatory System in Man
 Blood – transporting fluid
 Components of Blood
 Cells
 Red blood cells
 White blood cells
 Platelets
 Plasma
 Blood proteins
 Water
 Nutrients
 Gases
 Hormones
 Waste
Circulatory System in Man
 Blood vessels – tubes carrying blood around the
body
 Arteries
 Carry blood FROM the heart to the tissues
 They branch into smaller arteries or arterioles
 Capillaries
 Branch from the arterioles and penetrate tissues where they
form a network
 Veins
 Carry blood TO the heart from tissues around the body.
 Capillaries lead to small veins or venules which join to form
larger veins
Differences in Structure and
Function of Different Types of Blood
Vessels Arteries Capillaries Veins
Blood carried From the heart to To the tissues To the heart from
the tissues (between arteries the tissues
and veins)
Pressure Medium low
high (decreasing)
Blood flow slow slow
Rapid and smooth
Gases Becoming Deoxygenated
Oxygenated deoxygenated (contains Carbon
(containing Dioxide)
Carbon dioxide)
Valves none present
none
Position of Deep within the In the tissues Close the surface
vessels body
 Arteries Capillaries Veins
Blood carried Away from the To all the tissue Towards the heart
heart (link arteries to
veins)
Pressure high decreasing low
Blood flow Moves in pulses Movement is Moves slowly and
and is rapid smooth and is smoothly
slowing
Gases Oxygenated blood Becoming Deoxygenated
(little carbon deoxygenated (much carbon
dioxide) (carbon dioxide dioxide)
level increasing)
Valves None present None present Valves present
(stops back flow)
Position of Deep within the To all tissues Close to the body
vessels body surface
Circulatory System in Man
 The Heart – a muscular
pumping organ that
keeps blood circulating
throughout the body
Structure of the Mammalian Heart
Structure of the Mammalian Heart

 The Chambers
 4 chambers
 Left side completely separate from Right side
 No mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood
 Left side – oxygenated blood
 Right side – deoxygenated blood

 What are the names of the 4 chambers in the

heart?
Structure of the Mammalian Heart

 The Valves
 Valves separate the atriums (upper chambers)
from their corresponding ventricles (lower
chambers)
 Maintain the flow of blood in a particular direction
 Also found in veins
Structure of the Mammalian Heart
 Muscles
 Cardiac muscle
 Constantly contracting and relaxing
 Without fatigue
 Not like muscles in other parts of the body
 E.g. arms, legs
 Contracts approx. 70 per min.
 Heart rate affected by a number of factors
 List some factors that affect an individual’s heart rate
 Infants and children have higher heart rates than adults. Explain
why this occurs.
 Men have higher heart rates than women. Explain.
Structure of the Mammalian Heart

 The walls of the atria (pl.) are less muscular

than those of the ventricles. Explain
 The walls of the left ventricle are the most
muscular. Explain
 (hint: Where does the blood go to from the
left ventricle? Where does the blood go to
from the right ventricle?)