9. Transport in animals

Syllabus
0610–2026–2027
Section
9
Level
—

9.1 Circulatory systems

Syllabus
0610–2026–2027
Topic
9.1
Level
—

Define the circulatory system

The circulatory system is a system of blood vessels with a pump and valves that ensures one-way flow of blood.

Component Function
pump: the heart generates pressure that moves blood
blood vessels provide routes for blood around the body
valves prevent backflow, maintaining one-way flow

These components work together: the heart moves blood into vessels, the vessels connect the circulation, and valves stop blood reversing direction.

Valves do not pump blood. The heart supplies the force; valves prevent backflow.

Describe single circulation in a fish

In a single circulation, blood passes through the heart once during one complete circuit of the body.

Stage What happens
heart → gills the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the gills
gills → body blood gains oxygen at the gills and travels to body tissues
body → heart blood delivers oxygen, becomes deoxygenated and returns to the heart

The complete fish pathway is: heart → gills → body → heart.

Single circulation means one passage through the heart per complete circuit, not that blood travels in only one vessel.

Describe double circulation in a mammal

In a double circulation, blood passes through the heart twice during one complete journey through the pulmonary and systemic circuits.

Circuit Route Main job
pulmonary circulation heart → lungs → heart blood gains oxygen and loses carbon dioxide
systemic circulation heart → body → heart blood delivers oxygen to tissues and returns deoxygenated

Together the two loops give the route heart → lungs → heart → body → heart.

Double circulation means two passages through the heart per complete journey. It does not mean that blood circulates around the body twice.

Explain the advantages of double circulation

Double circulation lets the heart restore pressure between the lung circuit and the body circuit, while keeping oxygenated and deoxygenated blood separate.

Feature Advantage
blood returns to the heart after the lungs it can be pumped to the body at high pressure for rapid flow
a separate pulmonary circuit lower pressure can protect delicate lung capillaries
separate sides and circuits oxygenated blood does not mix with deoxygenated blood
rapid, oxygen-rich systemic flow tissues receive oxygen efficiently for high rates of respiration

The key causal chain is: two circuits → pressure can be adjusted and blood kept separate → efficient oxygen delivery to body tissues.

The advantage is not merely that blood passes through the heart twice; it is the resulting pressure control, separation and more efficient oxygen supply.

9.2 Heart

Syllabus
0610–2026–2027
Topic
9.2
Level
—

Identify the structures of the mammalian heart

In a standard front-view heart diagram, the anatomical left side usually appears on the viewer's right. Use structure and connections, not page position alone.

Structure Recognition cue
left and right atria two upper, thinner-walled chambers
left and right ventricles two lower chambers; the left ventricle has the thickest wall
septum muscular partition between the left and right sides
one-way valves flaps between chambers or at ventricular outlets
muscular wall tissue surrounding the chambers, thickest around the left ventricle
coronary arteries branching vessels visible on the outer surface of the heart

First locate the atria and ventricles, then use wall thickness to orient left and right; finally identify the septum, valves and surface coronary arteries.

Do not identify left and right from the viewer's left and right alone; diagrams are commonly shown as if the heart faces the learner.

Distinguish arteries from veins by direction

Arteries carry blood away from the heart; veins return blood to the heart.

Vessel type Direction relative to heart
artery heart → organ
vein organ → heart

Apply the direction rule before considering oxygen concentration: a vessel leaving a ventricle is an artery, and a vessel entering an atrium is a vein.

Artery does not mean oxygenated and vein does not mean deoxygenated; pulmonary vessels are the key exceptions to that shortcut.

Monitor the activity of the heart

Heart activity may be monitored using an ECG, pulse rate, or the sounds of valves closing.

Method What is detected
ECG (electrocardiogram) electrical activity of the heart over time
pulse rate pressure pulses in an artery, counted as beats per minute
listening with a stethoscope sounds produced when heart valves close

Each method provides a different observable signal of repeated heart activity; pulse rate is convenient for simple investigations.

An ECG records electrical activity; it is not a direct graph of blood pressure or heart sound.

Investigate and describe exercise effects on heart rate

Physical activity increases heart rate above the resting rate; after activity stops, heart rate gradually returns towards the resting value.

Stage Fair-test action
baseline sit quietly, then measure resting pulse for a fixed time
activity use the same exercise, duration and intensity for each comparison
response measure pulse immediately after exercise and at fixed recovery intervals
reliability repeat, calculate means and keep measurement method constant

Describe the pattern with direction and data where available: starting value, peak or post-exercise value, and recovery over time.

A fair investigation controls exercise dose and timing; comparing pulses measured after different delays is not valid.

Describe coronary heart disease and its risk factors

Coronary heart disease (CHD) results when coronary arteries become narrowed or blocked, reducing blood supply to heart muscle.

Change Consequence
coronary artery narrows or blocks less blood reaches cardiac muscle
oxygen and glucose supply falls aerobic respiration releases less energy
severe or prolonged shortage heart muscle may fail to contract normally or cells may die

Possible risk factors include diet, lack of exercise, stress, smoking, genetic predisposition, increasing age and sex.

A risk factor changes probability; it does not guarantee that a person will develop CHD. Coronary arteries supply the heart muscle itself.

Discuss diet and exercise in reducing CHD risk

Diet and exercise can reduce modifiable CHD risk, but they do not remove non-modifiable risks such as age, sex or genetic predisposition.

Change How it may reduce risk
reduce saturated fat and excess dietary cholesterol lowers the tendency for fatty deposits to narrow coronary arteries
reduce excess salt and maintain a balanced energy intake helps control blood pressure and body mass
exercise regularly helps control body mass and blood pressure and strengthens cardiac muscle

The strongest conclusion is conditional: sustained healthy diet and regular exercise reduce risk, while individual risk also depends on smoking, stress and inherited or demographic factors.

Diet and exercise reduce risk rather than cure an existing blockage, and one lifestyle change cannot cancel every other risk factor.

Identify atrioventricular and semilunar valves

Atrioventricular valves lie between atria and ventricles; semilunar valves lie at the exits from ventricles into arteries.

Valve type Diagram location Prevents backflow from
atrioventricular (AV) between each atrium and ventricle ventricle to atrium
semilunar at each ventricular outlet artery to ventricle

Trace blood from atrium → ventricle → artery: it crosses an AV valve first and a semilunar valve second.

Both types are one-way valves, but their positions and the backflow they prevent are different.

Explain differences in heart-wall thickness

More muscular walls contract with greater force and generate higher pressure.

Comparison Explanation
left ventricle thicker than right ventricle it pumps through the systemic circuit to the whole body at higher pressure; the right pumps only to the nearby lungs
ventricles thicker than atria ventricles pump blood out of the heart; atria push blood only a short distance into ventricles

For every comparison link destination and resistance to the pressure required, then link pressure to muscular-wall thickness.

The left ventricle is not thicker because it contains more blood; its thicker muscle is needed to generate greater pressure.

Explain the importance of the septum

The septum separates the right and left sides of the heart, preventing oxygenated and deoxygenated blood from mixing.

With an intact septum Why it matters
deoxygenated blood remains on the right before going to the lungs it can be reoxygenated without mixing into systemic output
oxygenated blood remains on the left before going to the body body tissues receive blood with a high oxygen concentration

Separation supports efficient oxygen delivery and therefore aerobic respiration in body tissues.

The septum separates blood; it does not act as a valve and does not itself pump blood.

Describe how the heart functions

The cardiac cycle coordinates atrial and ventricular contraction with pressure-operated valves to produce one-way blood flow.

Phase Muscle action Valve action and flow
filling atria and ventricles relax AV valves open; blood enters atria and flows into ventricles
atrial contraction atria contract AV valves stay open; blood is pushed into ventricles
ventricular contraction ventricles contract AV valves close; semilunar valves open; blood enters arteries
ventricular relaxation ventricles relax semilunar valves close, preventing arterial backflow; filling begins again

Valves open or close because pressure differs on their two sides; they do not contract actively.

Atrial contraction precedes ventricular contraction. During ventricular contraction the AV valves are closed and the semilunar valves are open.

Explain why physical activity increases heart rate

During physical activity, contracting muscles respire faster and need faster transport of substances, so heart rate increases.

Increased muscle demand Transport response
more oxygen and glucose needed for aerobic respiration faster blood flow delivers them more rapidly
more carbon dioxide and heat produced faster blood flow removes them more rapidly
more energy needed for contraction increased heart rate raises cardiac output

Nervous signals and adrenaline can increase the rate of heart contraction. After exercise, heart rate stays elevated briefly while transport demand returns towards resting level.

The heart does not create energy for muscles; it increases blood flow so respiration can release energy where it is needed.

9.3 Blood vessels

Syllabus
0610–2026–2027
Topic
9.3
Level
—

Compare the structures of arteries, veins and capillaries

Blood vessels can be distinguished by wall thickness, lumen diameter and the presence of valves.

Vessel Relative wall thickness Lumen Valves
artery thick relatively narrow absent
vein thin relatively wide present
capillary one cell thick extremely narrow absent

In cross-section, an artery keeps a smaller, more regular lumen inside a thick wall; a vein has a larger lumen and thinner wall; a capillary is only wide enough for cells to pass close to its wall.

Compare relative dimensions: a drawn vessel's absolute size is unreliable when diagrams are not to scale.

State the functions of capillaries

Capillaries form networks that bring blood close to cells and provide the exchange surface between blood and tissues.

Direction Examples
blood → tissues oxygen, glucose and other dissolved nutrients
tissues → blood carbon dioxide and other waste products

Capillaries connect the small branches of arteries to the small branches of veins, allowing exchange throughout tissues.

Capillaries are exchange vessels; they do not pump blood and are not the same as lymphatic vessels.

Identify the main vessels of the heart, lungs and kidneys

Identify a vessel from the organ it connects and the direction of blood flow, not from oxygen content alone.

Organ connection Vessel Direction
heart/body aorta heart → body
heart/body vena cava body → heart
heart/lungs pulmonary artery heart → lungs
lungs/heart pulmonary vein lungs → heart
heart/kidney renal artery heart/body artery → kidney
kidney/heart renal vein kidney → vena cava/heart

Use artery = away from the heart and vein = towards the heart, then attach the organ name for pulmonary and renal vessels.

The pulmonary artery is deoxygenated and the pulmonary vein oxygenated, so oxygen content is not the definition of artery or vein.

Explain how artery and vein structure matches blood pressure

Arteries carry high-pressure, pulsatile blood from the heart; veins return lower-pressure blood.

Vessel feature Pressure-related function
artery: thick muscular wall withstands high pressure
artery: elastic tissue stretches and recoils as pressure changes
artery: relatively narrow lumen helps maintain pressure
vein: wide lumen offers low resistance to low-pressure flow
vein: valves prevent backflow when pressure is low
vein: thinner wall sufficient because the blood pressure is lower

An explanation must link each structural difference to high or low pressure, rather than merely list features.

Valves do not raise venous pressure; they stop low-pressure blood reversing direction.

Explain how capillary structure supports exchange

Capillaries are built for rapid exchange over a short distance and across a large total surface area.

Structural feature Functional consequence
wall one cell thick short diffusion distance
very narrow lumen blood cells pass close to the wall and blood flow is slower
extensive branching network large total surface area and close contact with many cells
gaps or pores between wall cells water and small dissolved substances can move between blood and tissue fluid

These features allow useful substances to leave blood and wastes to enter it efficiently by diffusion or fluid movement.

A capillary wall is one cell thick; saying each wall cell has a thin cell wall confuses animal cell membranes with plant cell walls.

Identify the main blood vessels of the liver

The liver has two main blood inputs and one main blood output.

Vessel Direction Distinguishing role
hepatic artery heart/body artery → liver supplies oxygenated blood
hepatic portal vein small intestine → liver carries absorbed nutrients to the liver
hepatic vein liver → vena cava/heart drains blood from the liver

On a diagram, find the vessel from the intestine to identify the hepatic portal vein; the remaining inflow is the hepatic artery and the outflow is the hepatic vein.

The hepatic portal vein is a vein because it carries blood towards the heart eventually, even though it first connects one organ's capillaries to the liver.

9.4 Blood

Syllabus
0610–2026–2027
Topic
9.4
Level
—

List the components of blood

Blood consists of plasma with red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets suspended in it.

Component What it is
plasma the liquid part of blood
red blood cells specialised cells present in very large numbers
white blood cells immune cells
platelets small cell fragments involved in clotting

Plasma is the transport medium; the three formed components travel within it.

Plasma is part of blood. It is not the same as tissue fluid or lymph.

Identify red and white blood cells

Use relative number, size, shape and presence of a nucleus to distinguish red and white blood cells in diagrams or photomicrographs.

Feature Red blood cell White blood cell
number in a typical field many far fewer
shape small biconcave disc with a pale centre larger and less regular
nucleus absent present and dark-staining

First find the numerous small pale-centred discs: these are red cells. Larger cells with dark nuclei are white cells.

A pale centre in a red blood cell is not a nucleus; mature red blood cells have no nucleus.

State the functions of blood components

Each blood component has a distinct transport, defence or clotting role.

Component Function
red blood cells transport oxygen; haemoglobin binds oxygen
white blood cells defend by phagocytosis and antibody production
platelets promote blood clotting
plasma transports blood cells, ions, nutrients, urea, hormones and carbon dioxide

Match the substance or process to its carrier: oxygen mainly with haemoglobin in red cells; the listed dissolved substances and cells in plasma.

Plasma transports the blood cells; red blood cells do not transport every substance in blood.

State why blood clotting is important

Blood clotting seals a damaged blood vessel.

Role Consequence
prevents blood loss limits bleeding from the wound
prevents pathogen entry forms a barrier between damaged tissue and the environment

Both roles follow from closing the break in the skin and blood vessel.

Clotting prevents entry of pathogens at a wound; it does not destroy every pathogen already inside the body.

Identify lymphocytes and phagocytes

Lymphocytes and phagocytes are white blood cells distinguished mainly by nuclear shape and relative amount of cytoplasm.

Cell Recognition cue
lymphocyte large, round nucleus occupying most of the cell; thin rim of cytoplasm
phagocyte lobed or irregular nucleus; more cytoplasm and a less regular outline

In a blood image, first confirm the cell is a nucleated white cell, then use the round-versus-lobed nucleus distinction.

Cell size alone is not reliable; use nuclear shape and cytoplasm together.

Distinguish lymphocyte and phagocyte functions

Lymphocytes produce antibodies; phagocytes engulf pathogens by phagocytosis.

White blood cell Function
lymphocyte produces antibodies that act against specific antigens
phagocyte surrounds and engulfs pathogens by phagocytosis

Antibody production is a chemical defence by lymphocytes; engulfment is a cellular process carried out by phagocytes.

Lymphocytes do not engulf pathogens in this syllabus model, and phagocytes do not produce antibodies.

Describe the process of blood clotting

At a damaged blood vessel, platelets help trigger conversion of soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin.

Stage Event
1 the vessel is damaged and platelets become involved
2 soluble fibrinogen is converted to insoluble fibrin
3 fibrin forms a mesh across the wound
4 the mesh traps blood cells, forming a clot that seals the wound

The fibrin mesh produces the physical barrier that reduces blood loss and pathogen entry.

Fibrinogen is the soluble precursor; fibrin is the insoluble mesh. Do not reverse the conversion.