Chapter 8 - Exchange & Transport in Animals

Chapter 8 - Exchange & Transport in Animals

Circulatory system

A system that ensures every cell in the body gets an adequate supply of oxygen and food. It includes capillaries

Metabolism

All the chemical reactions in the body that produce wastes

Excretory organs

Organs that remove waste products from the body

Diffusion

The movement of substances from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

Surface area: volume ratio (SA:V)

The ratio of surface area to volume

Alveoli

Tiny air sacs in the lungs adapted for fast gas exchange due to their large surface area and thin walls.

Capillaries

Small blood vessels with walls one cell thick

Fick’s law

A law that states the rate of diffusion is directly proportional to the surface area and concentration gradient

Cardiac output

The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute

Erythrocytes (Red blood cells)

Red blood cells that carry oxygen using haemoglobin. They are biconcave in shape to increase surface area for oxygen diffusion.

Haemoglobin

A protein in red blood cells that binds with oxygen in the lungs and releases it in tissues.

White blood cells

Cells that protect the body from foreign cells

Platelets

Tiny cell fragments that help in blood clotting at the site of injury.

Heart attack

Occurs when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked

Atria

The upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from the veins.

Ventricles

The lower chambers of the heart that pump blood out to the arteries.

Heart valves

Structures that prevent blood from flowing backward in the heart.

Stroke volume

The volume of blood pumped out of the heart with each beat.

Cellular respiration

A series of chemical reactions that release energy from glucose

Aerobic respiration

Respiration that requires oxygen and occurs in the mitochondria of cells.

Anaerobic respiration

Respiration that does not require oxygen and produces lactic acid as a byproduct.

Respirometer

A device used to measure the rate of respiration by tracking oxygen consumption or carbon dioxide production.

Concentration gradient

The difference in concentration of a substance between two areas

Linear relationship

A relationship between two variables where a change in one variable causes a proportional change in the other.

Directly proportional

A relationship where one variable increases by a certain percentage

Inversely proportional

A relationship where one variable doubles

Surface area

The total area of a surface

Thickness of membrane

The distance particles must diffuse through

Oxygenated blood

Blood that is rich in oxygen

Deoxygenated blood

Blood that has released its oxygen to tissues

Pulse

A wave of stretching and contracting in artery walls caused by the heart pumping blood.

Valves in veins

Structures that prevent blood from flowing backward in veins

Atherosclerosis

A condition where fatty substances build up inside arteries

Phagocytes

White blood cells that engulf and digest foreign cells.

Lymphocytes

White blood cells that produce antibodies to help destroy foreign cells.

Antibodies

Proteins produced by lymphocytes that stick to foreign cells and help destroy them.

Plasma

The liquid component of blood that carries dissolved substances like glucose

Biconcave shape

The shape of red blood cells

Heart rate

The number of times the heart beats per minute.

Exercise and heart rate

Regular exercise increases stroke volume

Exothermic reaction

A reaction that releases energy

Mitochondria

Organelles in cells where aerobic respiration occurs.

Glucose

A sugar molecule used in cellular respiration to produce energy.

Carbon dioxide

A waste product of aerobic respiration

Water

A waste product of aerobic respiration

Lactic acid

A byproduct of anaerobic respiration

Respiration rate

The rate at which an organism consumes oxygen and produces carbon dioxide.

Control tube

A tube used in experiments to compare results and ensure accuracy.

Independent variable

The variable that is changed in an experiment to observe its effect.

Control variables

Variables that are kept constant in an experiment to ensure a fair test.

Anomalous result

A result that does not fit the pattern of other results

Correlation

A relationship between two variables where a change in one variable is associated with a change in the other.

Veins

Carry blood into the heart from the body, often deoxygenated (Wide tube, thin flexible wall)

Arteries

Carry blood away from the heart to the lungs and the rest of the body, typically oxygenated (Narrow tube, thick muscular wall)

Capillaries

Smallest blood vessels (1 cell thick, allowing for faster diffusion), where gas exchange occurs.

Aorta

Carries blood from the rest of the body

Superior vena cava

Brings blood into the heart from the upper body

Pulmonary artery

Carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs

Pulmonary vein

Carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart

Tendons

Stop valves from turning inside out

Septum

The muscular wall that divides the left and right sides of the heart, preventing the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.