Transport in animals

• The circulatory system is made up of three main parts

-heart (pump)
-blood vessels
-blood
Blood
• Blood is made up of 4 main components
-Red blood cells
-white blood cells
-plasma
-platelets
Red blood cells (erythrocytes)
• Function is to transport oxygen around the body
• Has a disc like shape
• Made in the bone marrow
• Has no nucleus
• Lives for approximately 90 days
• Has a pigments known as haemoglobin
White blood cells (leukocyte)
• Function is to fight off diseases
• Larger then RBC but less in number
• Has two types; phagocytes and lymphocytes
• Phagocytes engulf pathogens, made in the bone marrow, has a lobed
nucleus and can change shape to squeeze into tight areas
• Lymphocytes produce antibodies, made in the lymph nodes and
spleen, has a round nucleus and a round shape
Plasma
• Liquid part of the blood responsible for transporting a number of
substances and heat.
• Waste products: carbon dioxide and urea
• Nutrients: glucose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals
• Hormones: insulin, thyroxine
• Plasma proteins: antibodies, fibrinogen
Platelets
• Small fragments of cells that clot blood
• If there is a cut platelets release the enzyme thromboplastin. This
enzyme with the help of calcium ions and vitamin K converts soluble
fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin. Fibrin forms a network of fibres which
acts like a mesh to trap blood cells to form a clot. Clotting prevents
pathogens from entering and also blood from being lost.
Heart
• Pumps blood around the body
• Size is about a size of a fist made of cardiac muscle
• Has four chambers, upper chambers: atrium(collects blood from the
vessels) and lower chambers: ventricle (collects blood from atrium)
• Separated into right and left side by septum. This keeps the oxygenated
blood from mixing with the deoxygenated blood.
• Has valves to prevent backflow of blood; bicuspid/mitral (left side) and
tricuspid (right side)
• Pulmonary artery and aorta has semi-lunar valves to prevent blood
flowing back in the ventricles
Heartbeat/ cardiac cycle
• Average number of beats is 75 beats per minute(bpm)
• Specialized cells make up a pacemaker which controls the number of
beats
• A heartbeat happen in 3 stages which doesn’t even take 1 second
• Diastole: both atria and ventricles relax and blood flows in
• Atrial systole: atria contract forcing the remaining blood into the
ventricles
• Ventricular systole: the bicuspid and tricuspid valves close and the
ventricles contract forcing blood into the aorta and pulmonary artery.
Circulation
• During 1 full circulation in humans blood flow through the heart twice (double
circulation)
• Deoxygenated blood flows into the right atrium via inferior and superior vena
cava through the tricuspid valves and into the right ventricle. This blood is then
pumped into the pulmonary artery to go the lungs to become oxygenated.
• Oxygenated blood flow into the left atrium via the pulmonary veins passes
through the bicuspid/mitral valves into the left ventricle. This blood is then
pumped into the aorta to be taken to all parts of the body.
• The walls of the left ventricle are thicker than the right ventricle because the
left ventricle pumps blood to all parts of the body while the right ventricle only
pumps blood to the lungs which are much closer.
Blood vessels
• Responsible for transporting blood around the body
Blood vessels to major organs

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Immunity
• temporary or permanent resistance to a disease. Temporary: common
cold Permanent: chicken pox

• Immunity can be natural or artificial and these are either active or

passive
Natural Immunity
• Natural immunity: the body (lymphocytes) works to produce specific antibodies for
pathogens.
• The active type is where antibodies are produced by lymphocytes. Pathogens have
chemicals on the walls/coat called antigens. Lymphocytes detects these and are
triggered to produce the specific antibodies which can cause the pathogens to:
(i) clump together so phagocytes engulf them (ii) disintegrate or (iii) neutralize the
toxins
-at the end of recovery antibodies decrease but a small amount of memory lymphocytes
remain

• The passive type of natural immunity is where antibodies may have passed across the
placenta or from breastmilk. Lymphocytes are not stimulated. Immunity last only a short
time as antibodies will gradually disappear.
Artificial Immunity
• Artificial immunity: vaccinations can be used to provide this type of
immunity
• In active artificial immunity before the person gets sick he/she is
vaccinated with weakened or dead pathogens, fragments, antigens or
toxins of the pathogen. This triggers the lymphocytes to produce the
antibodies specific to the pathogens. There would be no sickness and
the memory lymphocytes would remain in the body to fight off any
other pathogens that enter.
• In passive artificial immunity the person is already sick so in this case
the patient is vaccinated with the antibodies. The lymphocytes are not
activated.