Biology

Circulation

Part I: Vocabulary Matching

The following matching sequence is to help provide an overview of the circulatory structures and
their functions. Each answer is used only once.

a. Ventricle _____ 1. Network of small blood vessels

b. Open Circulation _____ 2. Circulatory system of vertebrates
c. Capillary _____ 3. Inadequate for transport over large distances.
d. Atrium _____ 4. Vessel that carries blood AWAY from heart.
e. Blood _____ 5. Solution in spaces between cells
f. Closed Circulation _____ 6. Heart chamber that pumps blood out via arteries
g. Capillary bed _____ 7. Carries out circulatory functions in a jellyfish.
h. Diffusion _____ 8. Circulatory system of insects, spiders, and so on
i. Interstitial fluid _____ 9. Heart chamber that receives blood from veins
j. Artery _____ 10. Vessel that conveys blood from arteries to veins
k. Gastrovascular cavity _____ 11. Vessel that returns blood to the heart.
l. Vein _____ 12. The circulatory fluid

Part II: Comparing Fish and Mammal Circulatory Flows:

The fish heart pumps blood through two sets of capillaries. As the blood of a fish passes
through the tiny gill capillaries, it loses pressure. Therefore, once it has picked up oxygen, it
delivers this oxygen to the capillaries in the body tissues rather half-heartedly. The mammal
heart is like two fish hearts side by side. Each side pumps blood only through one set of
capillaries. The right heart pumps blood only to the lungs. The left heart then raises the pressure
and sends this blood on its way to body tissues. On the exercise below, compare fish and
mammal circulatory systems. Trace the flow of blood in each animal by numbering the parts
blood passes through in order.

A. Fish B. Mammal
__1__ a. Ventrical __1__ a. Right Ventricle
_____ b. Systemic capillaries _____ b. Left Atrium
_____ c. Atrium _____ c. Lung Capillaries
_____ d. Gill capillaries _____ d. Right Atrium
_____ e. Systemic Capillaries
_____ f. Left Ventricle
Part III: Circulation Flow:
See video links posted on the class website for circulation and blood flow videos.

To review the mammalian cardiovascular system, start by labeling the parts indicated in this
diagram. Then color the vessels that carry oxygen-right blood red and those that carry oxygen-
poor blood blue. Finally, tract the path of blood flow by numbering the circles (1-11).
(1-11)

Part IV: Blood Circulation

One way to learn about circulation and the parts of the heart is to trace the circulation of a
drop of blood from one location in the body to another, naming all the structures that the drop of
blood passes on its way. Use figures 37-2 and 27-3 in your textbook. (A tip: Remember that
blood always has to circulate from an artery to capillaries to a vein. There aren’t any shortcuts.
For example, to get from the capillaries of the big toe to capillaries of the little toe, blood must go
back to the heart, to the lungs, back to the heart, and then to the little toe.)

Imagine a drop of blood starting in a brain capillary, circulating to the foot, and then
circulating to the hand. The blood flows from the brain capillary, into a vein that runs down the
neck, end empties into the _1.__________, the large vein that serves the head and arms. From
there, the blood enters the _2.__________ of the heart. This chamber pushes the blood into the
_3.__________, which pumps it out through the _4.__________ to the lungs. In the capillaries of
the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen. Then it returns to the heart via the _5.__________. It
enters the _6.__________, which pumps the blood to the _7.__________. This chamber pumps
blood out and rebranches, and finally the blood is delivered to _9.__________ in the foot, where
nutrients and oxygen are dropped off at the tissues. The drop of blood travels back to the heart
via leg veins, which join the _10__________, which empties into the heart. The _11__________
atrium and ventricle again pump blood through the _12__________ circuit to the lungs. The
_13__________ atrium and ventricle then pump the blood out through the aorta into the
_14__________ circuit. This time the drop of blood flows down a large _15__________ to the
hand, where the blood again passes through a network of capillaries.

**Try going on, tracing the flow of blood from the hand, to the intestine to pick up food molecules,
or to the kidneys for filtration, and then back to the brain. Once you have done this a couple of
times, try it without the diagram, or make your own sketch.**

Part V: Comparing Capillaries, Arteries, and Veins

Capillaries Arteries Veins

Carry blood from 1 2 3

Carry blood to 4 5 6

Thickness of walls 7 8 9

(Thick, Thin, or In-

between)

Layers in walls (names) 10 11 12

Valves? (Yes/No) 13 14 15

Part VI: Cardiac Output

Cardiac output is the amount of blood that the left ventricle pumps into the aorta per
minute. It is equal to the amount of blood pumped per beat times the number of beats per
minute.

1. What is your cardiac output right now? An average heart pumps about 75 mL of blood
per beat. To calculate cardiac output, take your pulse, and then multiply 75 mL times the
number of beats per minutes.

a. Cardiac output = 75 mL x ____ beats per minute = _____ mL of blood per minute

2. Now run in place for a minute, take your pulse, and make the same calculation.

a. Cardiac output = 75 mL x ____ beats per minute = _____ mL of blood per minute

3. How much did your cardiac output change with exercise? _____ mL of blood per minute
Part VII: Blood Flow, Cross Sectional Area of Blood Vessels, and Blood Pressure

(Diagram also found on class website)

Pay special attention to the diagram above. It contains a lot of information. Included are sizes,
arrangement, and names of the blood vessels and the changes that occur in pressure and
velocity as blood passes through them. Match each of the following statements with one of the
blood vessels listed on the left.

a. Aorta _____ 1. Pressure is lowest here.

b. Arteries _____ 2. Pressure and speed drop the most in these vessels.
c. Arterioles _____ 3. Pressure is usually measured in this kind of vessel.
d. Capillaries _____ 4. Blood moves fastest here.
e. Venules _____ 5. These vessels have the strongest pulse
f. Veins _____ 6. Blood moves most slowly here.
g. Vena Cava _____ 7. These vessels are the narrowest
_____ 8. Diastolic pressure here might be 80 mm Hg.
_____ 9. Pressure here might be 20 mm Hg.
_____10. Pressure is highest here.
_____ 11. Systolic pressure here might be 120 mm Hg.
_____ 12. Velocity of blood increases sharply as blood flows
through these vessels.
_____ 13. Reduced flexibility and clogging of these vessels may
cause hypertension.
_____ 14. Blood flows rapidly here, but there is no pulse.
_____ 15. Muscles and breathing help propel blood through
these vessels.
Part VIII: Blood Pressure and Osmotic Pressure

Through the thin walls of capillaries, materials are exchanged between the blood and the
interstitial fluid that surrounds body cells. Complete this diagram showing the movement of blood
through a capillary and exchange of materials with the interstitial fluid. Draw a RED arrow to
show blood moving from the arteriole into the capillary. Draw a BLUE arrow to show blood
moving out of the capillary into a venule. (Why use two different colors?) Two forces are
responsible for exchange of fluid between the blood and the interstitial fluid: Blood pressure
tends to push fluid out of a capillary, and osmotic pressure tends to push water in. Draw large
and small arrows at the arterial end of the capillary to show the relative strengths of blood
pressure and osmotic pressure. Do the same at the venous end. Now draw arrows to show the
net movement of fluid at the venous and arterial ends. (Do your arrows show net movement of
fluid into or out of the capillary at the arterial end? Why? Is there net movement of fluid into or
out of the capillary at the venous end? Why?)

Part IX: Blood Cells

Most of the information found on pages 952-953 can be summarized on this chart below:

Relative
Cell Type Relative Size Numbers Function

Platelets Smallest 1 2

3 4 5 Oxygen Transport

White Blood Cells 6 Least Numerous 7

Part X: All the components for blood clotting are present in blood all the time. Tissue damage
activates them so that clotting occurs, in a sort of “chain reaction.” Try to visualize blood flow and
blood clotting by filling in the missing words in the following story.

You step into the Microtron, and you are quickly reduced to a size slightly smaller than a
red blood cell. The support team injects you into a small artery in the arm. Blood pressure is
fairly _1__________ here. You feel a boom of pressure on your eardrums about once per
second; this is simply the _2__________, and it will gradually disappear as the blood in the artery
flows into the narrower _3__________ that lead to the capillary beds. Bright lights on the
subject’s arm enable you to see what is around you: Most of the cells around you are
_4__________ , flexible disks carrying _5__________ to the body cells. There are also a few
larger, irregular _6__________ important in body defense. They slowly crawl along the blood
vessel walls. Some even move against the current. It is best to avoid them, because some are
_7__________ capable of eating bacteria and debris. All around you are tiny “blobs.” These
must be _8__________, which are involved in maintaining osmotic balance, defense, and blood
clotting. There are also swarms of small fragments of cell cytoplasm, called _9__________, that
assist in the clotting process.

As you enter a _10__________ blood slows almost to a stop, and the scene brightens.
The walls of these vessels are a single layer of _11__________, only one cell thick. You can
even see gaps between cells, where fluid in the capillary is exchanged with the _12__________
fluid. There isn’t much room here though. The capillaries are so narrow that the red blood cells
have to line up single file in some places.

You are just under the skin of the fingertip. The team pricks the subject’s skin with a pin.
You are moving directly toward the wound, so you use your gripper to hang onto the vessel wall.
The clotting process is already under way. The damaged lining of the vessel exposes
_13__________ to the blood. _14__________ stick to the exposed tissue and release a cloud of
chemicals. These chemicals cause even more platelets to adhere. But in this case, the damage
is too serious for a platelet plug to stop the leak. Chemicals released from the platelets and
damaged cells in the vessel wall trigger _15__________ in the blood to change into an enzyme
called thrombin. This enzyme then causes the small blobs of fibrinogen floating in the blood to
change shape and form sticky strands of _16__________. These strands stretch like a tangle of
cords across the hole in the vessel, trapping red blood cells. The blood strains against the fibrin
clot, but finally it holds and leakage stops.

A phagocyte has caught your leg! You break free, but in the process you loosen a big
chunk of the clot. It could travel to the heart, lodge in one of the _17__________ and cause a
_18__________! You let the flow of blood carry you along. As blood leaves the capillary bed
and enters a _19__________blood flow speeds up. The vessel walls thicken, and it gets darker
again. You enter an even larger _20__________ and the blood slows down even more. Ahead
you can dimly make out the flaps of a _21__________, which keeps the blood moving toward the
heart. Fortunately, the clot is briefly caught in an eddy downstream from the valve. You break it
into fragments small enough to pose no threat to the subject. This is a good time to make your
exit, and you are soon back in the lab discussing your adventure.

Part XI: Vocabulary

This chapter introduces a lot of vocabulary connected with circulation. Circle the term that does
not fit with the others in each of these groups, and briefly explain what the other terms in each
group have in common.

1. venule artery atrium capillary

2. fibrin leukocyte platelet red blood cell
3. sphygmomanometer systolic pressure fibrinogen hypertension
4. pulmonary veins right ventricle lungs aorta
5. diastole systole pulse leukocyte