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Have you ever wondered how food, oxygen and water is being transported in a human body? The central transportation system responsible for the transportation of oxygen, food, water and even the waste material in human beings is the blood circulatory system. The human blood circulatory system consists of the blood, heart, which pumps and receives the blood and the blood vessels through which the blood flows in the body.
Key Terms: Circulatory System , Flow of blood in human body, transportation in human , Blood vessels, Heart, blood
Flow of Blood in Human Body
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The blood flows in a human body through three types of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries. The arteries, veins and capillaries are the thin pipes through which blood circulates in the human body. The main difference between an artery and vein is that an artery supplies blood from the heart to the body organs, then a vein supplies blood from the body organs back to the heart. Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the human body. It connects the smallest arteries to the smallest veins.
The blood flows through these blood vessels transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, digested food, hormones and even waste materials. The oxygen is carried by the Red Blood Cells. The blood usually consists of a fluid medium known as Plasma, where the cells are suspended. Plasma is also responsible for transporting food, carbon dioxide, and nitrogenous wastes in dissolved form.
Lymphatic System
Apart from the blood circulatory system for the transport of substances in human beings, there is another transportation system called the lymphatic system. In the lymphatic system, the liquid that flows and supplies substances is known as lymph. Thus, the various substances are transferred through two fluids called blood and lymph in Human Beings.
Organs included in Human Transportation System
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The Human Transportation System consists of the following organs which are explained below-
1- Blood
Technically, Blood is not an organ. It is a liquid with numerous cells and proteins suspended, making food thicker than pure water. The average person stores about 5 litres of blood. Plasma stores proteins that help the blood clot, transport substances through the blood and perform several functions. Blood plasma also consists of glucose and other dissolved nutrients.
About half of blood volume is composed of blood cells:
- Red blood cells which supplies oxygen to the tissues
- White blood cells, which fight infections
- Platelets, smaller cells that helps the blood clot
Blood
2- Blood Vessels
Arteries, veins and capillaries are called blood vessels. These are responsible for the transportation of blood in the human body.
Arteries: Arteries are thick-walled blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to all body parts. It has thick walls because blood emerges from the heart under high pressure.
Capillaries: The capillaries are thin-walled and very small tubes/blood vessels. It connects the arteries to the veins. The transfer of various materials like oxygen, food, carbon dioxide etc., between the blood and the body cells occurs through capillaries.
Veins: Veins are thin-walled blood vessels that supply blood from all the body parts back to the heart. Veins never require thick walls because the blood flowing through them is no longer under high pressure.
Blood Vessels
3- Heart
The heart is basically a pump positioned slightly in the left and between the lungs. It is the main organ of the human circulatory system. The heart is divided into four chambers , the upper two chambers called atrium and the lower two chambers called ventricles.
Heart
The heart sends blood throughout our body after every heartbeat and supplies oxygen to every cell. After providing the oxygen, the blood returns to the core. Next, the heart transfers the blood to the lungs to pick up more oxygen. Finally, oxygen-rich blood from the lungs comes to the thin-walled upper chamber of the heart on the left, i.e. Left atrium.
Deoxygenated blood arrives from the body to the upper chamber on the right, Right atrium. When the right atrium contracts, the corresponding lower chamber, the right ventricle, dilates and due to this the blood is transferred to the right ventricle, which in turn pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation. The separation of both sides of the heart is beneficial and prevents the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood from mixing.
4- Lymphatic System
The human circulatory system involves one more fluid called lymph. Lymph is a colourless fluid also known as the tissue fluid which consists of salts, proteins and water. The lymphatic system involves the bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen and lymphatic vessels, and tissues containing lymph and blood.
Lymphatic System
Lymphatic vessels branch, like blood vessels, combining all the body tissues, also called the lymph system. Blood transportation plays a role in the exchange process of nutrients and gases that occurs through blood. The lymphatic system functions complement the bloodstream functions to maintain the body’s fluid balance and filter the pathogens from the blood.
Previous Year Questions
Ques.1 : (a) Draw a sectional view of the human heart and label on it – Aorta, Right ventricle and Pulmonary veins.
(b) State the functions of the following components of transport system:
(i) Blood (ii) Lymph (All India 2011, 5 Marks)
Answer: (a) Sectional Diagram of Human Heart-
Human Heart
(b) Functions of Blood and Lymph
Blood-
- Blood transports the oxygen to the tissues of the body and carbon dioxide to the lungs by the blood plasma.
- It transports digested and absorbed nutrients to the tissues and nitrogenous wastes to the kidneys.
- It regulates the body temperature and maintains the pH level of the body tissues.
- Platelets and protein in plasma present inside the blood helps in the rapid healing of wounds by forming a clot during an injury.
Lymph-
- Lymph helps in cleaning the cellular environment.
- It returns proteins and tissue fluids to the blood.
- It provides a path for the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins into the blood.
- It protects the body against disease.
Ques. 2 : State two differences between arteries and veins. (All India 2011, 3 Marks)
Answer. Arteries
- Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart except pulmonary arteries.
- These are thick-walled, highly muscular except arteries of cranium and vertebral column.
- Valves are absent.
Veins
- Veins carry deoxygenated blood towards the heart except pulmonary veins.
- These are thin-walled.
- Valves are present due to which unidirectional flow of blood is maintained.
Ques. 3: In mammals and birds why is it necessary to separate oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood ? (All India 2014, 3 Marks)
Answer: Mammals and birds are warm blooded animals. Due to which, they can control their body temperature and they will not need to depend on the environment for the regulation of their body temperature. Birds and mammals require a sufficient amount of oxidation of glucose which can only be possible due to a sufficient supply of oxygen. So it is required in mammals and birds to have separate oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood for the supply of sufficient amounts of oxygen.
Ques. 4:List the three kinds of blood vessels of the human circulatory system and write their functions. (All India 2012, 3 Marks)
Answer: Three kinds of blood vessels of the human circulatory system are- Arteries, Capillaries and Veins.
Arteries: Arteries are thick-walled blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to all body parts. It has thick walls because blood emerges from the heart under high pressure.
Capillaries: The capillaries are thin-walled and very small tubes/blood vessels. It connects the arteries to the veins. The transfer of various materials like oxygen, food, carbon dioxide etc., between the blood and the body cells occurs through capillaries.
Veins: Veins are thin-walled blood vessels that supply blood from all the body parts back to the heart. Veins never require thick walls because the blood flowing through them is no longer under high pressure.
Ques. 5: List in tabular form three differences between arteries and veins.(All India 2013, 3 Marks)
Answer: Difference between Arteries and Veins-
| Arteries | Veins |
|---|---|
| Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart except pulmonary arteries. | Veins carry deoxygenated blood towards the heart except pulmonary veins. |
| These are thick-walled, highly muscular except arteries of cranium and vertebral column. | Veins are thin-walled. |
| Valves are absent in Arteries. | Valves are present due to which unidirectional flow of blood is maintained |
Ques. 6: Name the component of blood that helps in the formation of blood clot in the event of a cut. (All India 2011, 1 Mark)
Answer: Platelets (which is a type of blood cell) and protein in plasma (the liquid part of the blood) present inside the blood work together and help in the rapid healing of wounds by forming a blood clot in the event of a cut.
Ques. 7: What would be the consequences of deficiency of hemoglobin in your body? (All India 2013, 1 Mark)
Answer: The deficiency of hemoglobin in our body will cause the disease named anemia. In anemia, the blood in our body is unable to carry a sufficient amount of oxygen required by the body. So, respiration would be less and less energy will be there in the body. The person with hemoglobin deficiency will feel weak, pale, lethargic and will not be able to perform heavy physical work.
Sample Questions
Ques.1: What is the Lymphatic System’s function in Human Beings? (1 mark)
Answer: The lymphatic system includes the bone marrow, lymph nodes, thymus, and a series of thin tubes supplying lymph and white blood cells. The system works on the tissues and organs that generate, store, and transmit white blood cells to fight infectious diseases.
Ques. 2: What do you understand by Veins in Humans? (1 mark)
Answer: Veins are thin blood vessels that carry blood from all parts of the body back to the heart. It never requires thick walls to lessen the pressure of blood. Instead, it allows blood to flow under high pressure to the body parts back to the heart.
Ques.3: What happens if blood transportation in human beings stops suddenly? (1 mark)
Answer: If the blood transmission in body parts to the heart stops suddenly, it may cause a heart attack, which may take a short duration to block oxygen release and intake in the body and cause death further.
Ques.4: What are the things that your blood contains in it? (1 mark)
Answer: Almost half of the blood volume is made of blood cells like- RBCs, WBCs and Platelets.
- RBCs transmit oxygen to the tissues
- While Blood Cells fight infections
- Platelets are tiny cells that help in the clotting of blood.
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