Activity 4: Let's Organize!

Objectives:
1. Identify the components of the circulatory
system and describe its functions
2. Describe the structure of the heart
3. Explain the different types of circulation
or major circuits of blood flow
Circulatory System

• transport important gases and nutrients to

the cells of the body

• carries metabolic wastes such as CO2

and salts to organs of excretion such as
the lungs, kidneys and skin

• plays 2 important roles in maintaining

homeostasis
a) by controlling the makeup of the
environment in w/c the cells live
b) by controlling the chemical makeup of
the blood by contimuously transporting it
through organs such as the liver and the
kidneys

2 Types of Circulatory System

a) open type b) closed type
• Open type of circulation - blood is
pumped through open-ended vessels and
diffuses out of the body;
-there are no arteries in w/c increased
blood pressure may occur
-suited for animal w/ small body
-requires less energy for pumping blood
-dont require high amounts of O2
-e.g.invertebrates like
spiders,crustaceans, grasshoppers
• Closed type of circulation - blood is
circulated at a higher pressure and
delivered quickly throughout the body
• suitable for organisms w/ fast metabolism
and they can move around, digest food
and eliminate waste more quickly
• referred to as cardiovascular system
• consists of a heart and a network of
vessels
• e.g. vertebrates
Parts of the Cardiovascular System

 Blood - a highly specialized connective

tissue
-transports O2 and nutrients to the cells
and removes CO2, NH3 and other waste
products
-boosts the immune system to protect
person against diseases
-maintains a relatively constant body
temperature
Components of the Blood
1. Blood Plasma- a liquid part comprising
55% of the blood volume; plasma is 90%
water
-protein is the second largest substance
found in plasma
-plasma proteins include the ff.:
a) albumin
b) clotting factor
c) antibodies
• Albumin- most abundant plasma protein
in blood and manufactured in the liver

• Clotting factor- proteins that are switched

on in a certain sequence called the clotting
cascade when a blood vessel is damaged

• Antibodies- help fight infections

2. Formed Elements- make up about 45% of the
blood volume and consist primarily of 3 cellular
components
A. Erythrocytes

• Red blood cells (RBCs)

make up about 40% of
the blood's volume
• These are tiny, concave,
disk-shaped cells
• The ability of RBCs to
carry O2 is due to a
protein called hemoglobin
that contains iron on its
surface
• Hemoglobin with oxygen gives the blood
its characteristic red color.

• The brighter is the red color of the blood,

the more oxygen it contains.

• Blood that comes from the lungs is bright

red while blood that returns to the lungs is
dark red
B. Leukocytes
• White blood cells (WBCs) are colorless,
round cells w/ prominent nuclei of varying
shapes and sizes.

• They are outnumbered by RBCs by ratio

of about 700 to 1.

• Responsible for defending the body

against infections.
 5 MAIN TYPES OF WBC
(categorized into granular leukocytes and
agranular leukocytes)
A. Granulocytes show visible granules in the
cytoplasm when stained. They include the
following:
1. Neutrophils - the most numerous type
-constitute about 60% of the leukocytes
-they have lavender granules and are
active in fighting infections through
phagocytosis, w/c involves engulfing and
ingesting bacteria, fungi, and other foreign
debris.

2. Eosinophils - have bright pink, beadlike

granules
 -they kill parasites, destroy cancer cells,
and are involved in allergic responses

3. Basophils - have large, dark blue

granules, often w/ obscure nuclei
-they participate in allergic responses
-both eosinophils and basophils make up a
small percentage of the white blood cells
but increase in number during allergic
reactions
B. Agranulocytes are those that lack
visible granules. There are two types:
1. Lymphocytes - second most numerous
of the WBCs and are active in providing
immunity
-consist of 3 main types:
T lymphocytes and
natural killer cells (NK cells)
both help protect against
 viral infections and can detect and destroy
some cancer cells; and B lymphocytes,
w/c produce antibodies

2. Monocytes - the largest in size

-these function as
phagocytes by ingesting
dead or damaged cells
-help defend the body
against many infectious
organisms
C. Platelets
• also called thrombocytes
• smallest of the blood's formed elements
• ratio of platelets to RBCs is about 1:20
• these structures are not cells in
themselves but are fragments of cells

• play a role in the clotting

process by clumping
together to form a plug
that helps seal a blood vessel at a
bleeding site
-also release substances that help
promote further clotting
-manufactured in the red marrow as
fragments of megakaryocytes, certain cells
w/ giant nuclei
-do not have DNA but do contain active
enzymes and mitochondria
• THROMBOCYTOPENIA
-condition wherein the number of platelets
is too low; bruising and abnormal bleeding
can occur

• THROMBOCYTHEMIA
-condition where the number of platelets is
too high; the blood may clot excessively,
causing a stroke or heart attack
LIFESPAN OF BLOOD CELLS

• RBCs circulate in the bloodstream for 20-

120 days.
• WBCs circulate in the blood for only 6-8
hours
• Platelets survive for about 10 days

• Most blood components are produced in

the red bone marrow.
  Heart- a hollow organ formed by the 3 different layers of
cardiac muscles

1. The endocardium
-the membrane that lines the interior of the
heart
2. The myocardium
-the thickest layer of the cardiac muscle
-responsible for pumping the blood
through the blood vessels
3. The epicardium
-the thin, outermost layer of the heart wall
that extends with the fibrous sac enclosing
the heart

 The human heart is a double pump in one

organ. The right side pumps Oxygen-poor
blood to the lungs through the pulmonary
circuit.
 The left side of the heart receives oxygen
rich blood from the lungs. This blood is
circulated to the rest of the body through
the systemic circuit.

 The 2 sides are separated

by a thick wall of muscle
called septum.
 Blood does not pass through the septum,
and blood from the 2 sides never combine.

TWO CHAMBERS OF THE HEART

1. Upper Chambers/ Atria- receive blood

coming into the heart and pump it into the
ventricles
2. Lower Chambers/ Ventricles- larger
than the atria and have thicker muscular
 walls because they pump blood out of the
heart

VALVES- located b/w the atria and ventricles

to prevent backflow of blood
ATRIOVENTICULAR VALVE or TRICUSPID
VALVE- entrance valve located at the right
atrium and right ventricle
BICUSPID or MITRAL VALVE- found b/w
the left atrium and left ventricle
 Blood Vessels- carries the blood
throughout the body

3 Types of Blood Vessels

a) Arteries- carry oxygenated blood away
from the heart and into the capillaries in
the tissues
-have thick and elastic walls strong
enough to receive high-pressure blood
pumped from the ventricles of the heart
b) Veins- carry deoxygenated blood to the
heart

-return blood to the heart and drain the

capillaries in the tissues

-walls are thinner but wider than those of

the arteries

-most veins are equipped w/ one-way

valves that allow blood to flow only in one
direction toward the heart
c) Capillaries- finest and smallest of the 3
types
- have much thinner and less elastic walls
than the arteries
-facilitate the exchange of materials b/w
the blood and body cells or b/w the blood
and the lung tissues
-also connect arterioles and venules
Exercises:
1. Make a chart of the components of the
human blood showing their functions and
their relative proportion in terms of blood
volume.
2. Contrast the functions of the atria and the
ventricles.
3. How do the valves in the heart function?
4. Why are there no valves in the arteries?
5. Where does the blood that enters the left
atrium come from? Is this blood
oxygenated?