Transport in Animals –

Human Circulatory System

Types of
Circulatory
systems:
• Two types:
• Open
Circulatory
System
• Closed
Circulatory
System
Open Circulatory
System
• Found in mollusks and
insects.
• Blood is pumped from the
heart into a body cavity.
• Organs is therefore
surrounded with blood.
• This concepts allows
exchange of nutrients, gases
and waste material.
Open Circulatory System
• Blood able to flow due to
movement of body
muscles.
• Blood flows slow due to
large cavity – blood
pressure is very low.
• Limited to smaller animals.
Closed Circulatory System
• Found mainly in vertebrate
animals.
• Blood is pumped from heart into
blood vessels.
• Large vessels branch into smaller
vessels that is found between
cells to exchange nutrients, gases
and waste materials.
• Smaller vessels become larger
vessels that flow back to the heart.
• Valves ensure blood flows in one
direction.
• Higher blood pressure occur –
allow animals to be of bigger size.
 Human
Circulatory
System:
o Three main parts:
o Blood
o Blood vessels (veins,
arteries, capillaries)
o Heart

o Allow for effective transport

of nutrients and oxygen –
humans able to be very
active.
Human
Circulatory
System:
• Double circulatory system:
• Pulmonary circulatory
system
• Systemic circulatory
system
 Pulmonary
circulatory system

• Blood flows from heart to lungs

back to heart.
• Deoxygenated blood leaves the
right ventricle of the heart via the
pulmonary artery.
• Blood arrives at lungs and
becomes oxygenated.
• Oxygenated blood leaves lungs
and flows via pulmonary vein back
to the left atrium of the heart.
• right ventricle – pulmonary
artery – lungs – pulmonary
vein – left atrium
Systemic circulatory system
• Blood flows from heart to body
back to heart.
• Oxygenated blood leaves the
left ventricle via the aorta.
• Blood flows into smaller
arteries, arterioles and
capillaries to cells.
• Exchange of nutrients, waste
and gases take place.
• Blood flows from capillaries into
venules and veins via vena
cava into right atrium of heart.
left ventricle – aorta – arteries –
arterioles – capillaries – cells –
venules – veins – vena cava – right
atrium
 Heart
• External structure:
• The human heart is a
double muscular pump
situated in the thoracic
cavity between the lungs,
above the diaphragm and
immediately behind the
sternum.
• Protected by the ribs and
the sternum.
• It is a little larger than the
fist.
 Heart
• External structure:
• Enclosed in a double
connective tissue
membrane called the
pericardium, with a small
amount of lubricating fluid
between the layers.
• The heart is held in position
by the blood vessels all of
which enter / leave the
heart at its top.
• Upper half is wider than
lower half.
• Coronary blood vessels
supply heart tissue with
blood (nutrients and gases).
 • Internal structure
Heart • The heart is divided
lengthwise into two halves,
left and right, by a septum
(wall).
• There is no direct
communication between the
left half and the right half of
the heart – left side and right
side blood never mix – heart
is “double pump”.
• Each half is divided into two
chambers, the atrium at the
top, and the ventricle below.
• Inside of heart lined with thin
membrane (squamous
epithelium) the endocardium.
 Right half of the heart (RA and RV)

• This half of the heart is

responsible for the
circulation of
deoxygenated blood.
• The right atrium is thin-
walled and receives
deoxygenated blood from
the following veins:
• Superior vena cava
carries blood from the
head, limbs and thorax
(excluding lungs).

• Inferior vena cava carries blood from the lower

part of the body.
• Coronary vein carries blood from the walls of
the heart to the right atrium.
Right half of the heart (RA and RV):
• Blood in the right atrium is pumped
into the right ventricle and is then
pumped to the lungs through the
pulmonary artery.
• The right ventricle has thicker
muscular walls than the right atrium
as the ventricle pumps the blood a
greater distance - the atrium has to
pump blood to the ventricle.
• but the ventricle has to pump it all
the way to the lungs with an
adequate amount of pressure.
Left half of the heart (LA and LV)

• This half is responsible for the

circulation of oxygenated blood.
• The left atrium receives all the
oxygenated blood returning
from the lungs by four
pulmonary veins (two from
each lung).
• The left ventricle has
exceptionally thick muscular
walls as it has to pump blood to
the remote parts of the body.
• The left ventricle receives blood
from the left atrium and pumps
the blood via the aorta to all
parts of the body.
 Valves of the heart
• Tricuspid valve
• Bicuspid valve
• Semilunar valves
Tricuspid
valve
• Position and structure:
• Between right atrium
and right ventricle
• Consists of three
flaps
• Flaps triangular in
shape
• Attached to the heart
wall
• Free end hangs into
ventricle
• Free end attached to
small papillae
• Function:
• Prevents backward
flow from RV to RA
 Bicuspid valve
• Position and structure:
• Between left atrium and left
ventricle
• Consists of two flaps
• Flaps triangular in shape
• Attached to the heart wall
• Free end hangs into ventricle
• Free end attached to small
papillae
• Function:
• Prevents backward flow from
LV to LA
 Semilunar
valves
• Position and structure:
• Occur at base of
pulmonary artery and
aorta
• Situated on inside of
vessel
• Ventricles contract,
blood pushes flap open
• Ventricles relax, blood
in vessels fill pockets of
valves and they close
• Function:
• Prevents backward flow
from blood vessels into
ventricles
Cardiac cycle
• The succession of events during each heart beat is called the
cardiac cycle.
• It consists of three phases:
• Atrial systole
• Ventricular systole
• General diastole
Atrial systole• A short simultaneous contraction of atria.
• Duration of about 0,1 second.
• Blood in the atria is forced through the tricuspid and
bicuspid valves into the ventricles.
 • A simultaneous contraction of the ventricles.
Ventricular systole • Duration of about 0.3 seconds.
• The bicuspid and tricuspid valves close and blood
is forced into the aorta and pulmonary artery under
pressure.
• The semilunar valves open up during this phase
General diastole
• A period of rest – relaxation.
• Duration of about 0,4 seconds.
• Both atria and ventricles are relaxed during this
period.
• During this period of rest, blood flows from the
two venae cavae and four pulmonary veins into
both atria and ventricles (tricuspid and bicuspid
valves are open).
• The ventricles are completely filled during
contraction of the atria when the next cardiac
cycle starts.
Blood pressure
• Blood pressure is the pressure caused by the
heart pushing the blood through the blood
vessels.
• Two figures are given when blood pressure is
measured.
• The first is a measure of the pressure in the
arteries of the body at systole, and the second is
the pressure during diastole, e.g.
Regulation of heartbeat
• The rate is regulated by the nervous
system according to the needs of the
body.
• During exercise, the heart rate
increases to ensure that more blood,
containing oxygen
• and nutrients, flows to the muscles
so that they can utilise the energy in
the food.
• During sleep the heart rate slows
down.
• A cardiac control centre in the
medulla oblongata of the brain can
alter the rate of heartbeat by way of
the autonomic nervous system
(controls involuntary actions).
Regulation of heartbeat
• Parasympathetic motor impulses cause the heart rate to slow down,
while sympathetic motor impulses cause the heart rate to increase.
• In humans the heart will beat at a rate of 70-80 times per minute at
rest.
• The bulge in an artery, caused by pressure of blood due to the
contraction of the ventricles, can be felt in any part of the body
where an artery is near the surface eg. wrist.
• This pulse has the same rhythm as the heartbeat.
Blood vessels
• Three types of blood vessels:
• Arteries
• Capillaries
• Veins
 • Structure:
Arteries • Contain thick walls of three layers
• Outer layer is elastic connective tissue
• Middle layer is smooth muscle and elastic fibres
• Inner layer is cells called endothelium
• Stretch when heart beats
• Divide into smaller vessels called arterioles
• Function:
• Carry blood at high pressure away from the heart
• Carry oxygenated blood (except pulmonary artery)
Capillaries • Structure:
• Minute tubes made of a single layer of endothelium
• Red blood cells need to move through in single file
due to vessel being so thin
• Function:
• Exchange of substances takes place between
capillary and cells
• Process is diffusion
Veins • Structure:
• Walls not as strong as those of arteries
• Lower pressure
• Contain three layers (same as artery)
• Contain semilunar valves to prevent blood flowing backward
• Function:
• Carry blood at lower pressure towards the heart
• Carry deoxygenated blood (except pulmonary veins)