Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Your notes
Biology
Circulatory Systems, Heart & Blood
Vessels
Contents
Circulatory System
Circulatory System Continued
The Mammalian Heart
Monitoring Activity of the Heart
Investigating Effect of Physical Activity on Heart Rate
Coronary Heart Disease
Identifying Structures in the Heart
Functioning of the Heart
Explaining the Effect of Physical Activity on Heart Rate
Blood Vessels
Circulation Around the Body
Structure & Function of Blood Vessels
Blood Vessels & the Liver
Components of Blood
Blood Clotting
White Blood Cells
Conversion of Fibrinogen
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Circulatory System
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Circulatory system
The circulatory system is an organ system, the role of which is to transport blood around
the body
Components of the circulatory system include:
blood vessels
a pump
valves to ensure one-way flow of blood
Circulatory system diagram
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Your notes
The circulatory system consists of blood vessels and a pump, and one-way blood flow is
ensured by the presence of valves
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Circulatory System Continued
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Circulatory Systems of Fish & Mammals:
Extended
Extended Tier Only
Circulatory systems in Fish
Fish have a two-chambered heart and a single circulation
This means that for every one circuit of the body, the blood passes through the heart
once
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Your notes
The single circulatory system in fish
Circulatory systems in Mammals
Mammals have a four-chambered heart and a double circulation
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This means that for every one circuit of the body, the blood passes through the heart
twice
Your notes
The right side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to
the lungs (the pulmonary circulation)
The left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the
body (the systemic circulation)
The double circulatory system in mammals
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Advantages of Double Circulation:
Extended Your notes
Extended Tier Only
Blood travelling through the small capillaries in the lungs loses a lot of pressure that was
given to it by the pumping of the heart, meaning it cannot travel as fast
By returning the blood to the heart after going through the lungs its pressure can be
raised again before sending it to the body, meaning cells can be supplied with the
oxygen and glucose they need for respiration faster and more frequently
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The Mammalian Heart
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The Mammalian Heart
The heart is labelled as if it was in the chest so what is your left on a diagram is actually
the right hand side and vice versa
The right side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to
the lungs
The left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the
body
Blood is pumped towards the heart in veins and away from the heart in arteries
The two sides of the heart are separated by a muscle wall called the septum
The heart is made of muscle tissue which are supplied with blood by the coronary
arteries
Structure of the heart
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
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Remember A-A: Arteries carry blood Away from the heart
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Monitoring Activity of the Heart
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Monitoring Activity of the Heart
Heart activity can be monitored by using an ECG, measuring pulse rate or listening to
the sounds of valves closing using a stethoscope
Heart rate (and pulse rate) is measured in beats per minute (bpm)
To investigate the effects of exercise on heart rate, record the pulse rate at rest for a
minute
Immediately after they do some exercise, record the pulse rate every minute until it
returns to the resting rate
This experiment will show that during exercise the heart rate increases and may take
several minutes to return to normal
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Investigating Effect of Physical Activity on Heart Rate
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Investigating Effect of Physical Activity
on Heart Rate
It is relatively simple to investigate the effects of exercise on the body in the classroom
Breathing rate can be measured by counting the number of breaths per minute, while
heart rate can be measured by taking a pulse
Either can be measured before and after an activity is performed and the results plotted
on a bar chart
It is important that the time over which breathing rate and pulse rate are measured is
consistent, and that individuals fully recover (rest) before starting a new activity
Increased physical activity results in an increased heart rate and breathing rate
Heart rate remains high for a period of time after physical has stopped, there is a
gradual return to resting heart rate
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Coronary Heart Disease
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Coronary Heart Disease
The coronary arteries
The heart is made of muscle cells that need their own supply of blood to deliver oxygen,
glucose and other nutrients and remove carbon dioxide and other waste products
The blood is supplied by the coronary arteries
If a coronary artery becomes partially or completely blocked by fatty deposits called
‘plaques’ (mainly formed from cholesterol), the arteries are not as elastic as they should
be and therefore cannot stretch to accommodate the blood which is being forced
through them - leading to coronary heart disease
Partial blockage of the coronary arteries creates a restricted blood flow to the cardiac
muscle cells and results in severe chest pains called angina
Complete blockage means cells in that area of the heart will not be able to respire and
can no longer contract, leading to a heart attack
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Your notes
Buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries
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Your notes
Effect of narrowing of arteries
Risk Factors for CHD Table
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Your notes
Diet, Exercise & Coronary Heart Disease
Reducing the risks of developing coronary heart disease
Quit smoking
Diet - reduce animal fats and eat more fruits and vegetables - this will reduce
cholesterol levels in the blood and help with weight loss if overweight
Exercise regularly - again, this will help with weight loss, decrease blood pressure and
cholesterol levels and help reduce stress
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Identifying Structures in the Heart
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Identifying Structures in the Heart:
Extended
Extended Tier Only
The ventricles have thicker muscle walls than the atria as they are pumping blood out of
the heart and so need to generate a higher pressure
The left ventricle has a thicker muscle wall than the right ventricle as it has to pump
blood at high pressure around the entire body, whereas the right ventricle is pumping
blood at lower pressure to the lungs
The septum separates the two sides of the heart and so prevents mixing of oxygenated
and deoxygenated blood
The structures in the heart maximise the efficiency with which it can pump blood around
the body
The function of valves
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The basic function of all valves is to prevent blood from flowing backwards
There are two sets of valves in the heart: Your notes
The atrioventricular valves separate the atria from the ventricles
The valve on the right side of the heart is called the TRICUSPID and the valve on the
left side is called the BICUSPID
These valves are pushed open when the atria contract but when the ventricles
contract they are pushed shut to prevent blood from flowing back into the atria
The semilunar valves are found in the two blood arteries that come out of the top of
the heart
They are unusual in that they are the only two arteries in the body that contain
valves
These valves open when the ventricles contract so blood squeezes past them out
of the heart, but then shut to avoid blood flowing back into the heart
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Functioning of the Heart
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Functioning of the Heart: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Deoxygenated blood coming from the body flows into the right atrium via the vena
cava
Once the right atrium has filled with blood the heart gives a little beat and the blood is
pushed through the tricuspid (atrioventricular) valve into the right ventricle
The walls of the ventricle contract and the blood is pushed into the pulmonary artery
through the semilunar valve which prevents blood flowing backwards into the heart
The blood travels to the lungs and moves through the capillaries past the alveoli where
gas exchange takes place (this is why there has to be low pressure on this side of the
heart – blood is going directly to capillaries which would burst under higher pressure)
Oxygen-rich blood returns to the left atrium via the pulmonary vein
It passes through the bicuspid (atrioventricular) valve into the left ventricle
The thicker muscle walls of the ventricle contract strongly to push the blood forcefully
into the aorta and all the way around the body
The semilunar valve in the aorta prevents the blood flowing back down into the heart
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Explaining the Effect of Physical Activity on Heart Rate
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Explaining the Effect of Physical Activity
on Heart Rate: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Heart rate increases during exercise to increase blood flow to the working muscles
This is important for several reasons:
To provide them with enough nutrients and oxygen for increased respiration
To remove waste products at a faster rate
Following exercise, the heart continues to beat faster for a while
to ensure that all excess waste products are removed from muscle cells
to deliver extra oxygen to the muscle cells to pay off the oxygen debt accumulated
when oxygen levels are not high enough to support aerobic respiration
The extra oxygen is used to break down the lactic acid that has been built up in
cells as a result of anaerobic respiration
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Blood Vessels
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Arteries, veins & capillaries
The blood vessels are a system of closed tubes within which blood flows
Different types of blood vessels transport blood in different directions, and to different
parts of the body
Arteries
These blood vessels carry blood away from the heart at high pressure
Arteries transport oxygenated blood
The single exception to this is the pulmonary artery
The walls of arteries are thick and muscular and contain elastic fibres
Arteries have a narrow lumen
Veins
These blood vessels carry blood towards the heart at low pressure
Veins transport deoxygenated blood away from the body
The single exception to this is the pulmonary vein
The walls of veins are thin in comparison to arteries
Veins have a wide lumen
Valves in veins prevent blood from flowing backwards
Arteries and veins diagram
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Your notes
Arteries carry blood away from the heart at high pressure, while veins carry blood towards
the heart at low pressure
Capillaries
These blood vessels carry blood to the cells of the tissues
Capillaries transport oxygenated blood from the arteries to the cells,
and deoxygenated blood from the cells to the veins
The walls of capillaries are one cell thick and contain gaps to allow fluid to leak out
Capillaries have a very narrow lumen
Capillaries diagram
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Your notes
Capillaries are tiny blood vessels that carry blood to the cells of the body
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Circulation Around the Body
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Main Blood Vessels in the Body
Blood is carried away from the heart and towards organs in arteries
These narrow to arterioles and then capillaries as they pass through the organ
The capillaries widen to venules and finally veins as they move away from the organs
Veins carry blood back toward the heart
The circulatory system
Important Blood Vessels Table
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Your notes
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Structure & Function of Blood Vessels
Your notes
How Structure of Blood Vessels is
Adapted to their Function: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Arteries
Have thick muscular walls containing elastic fibres to withstand the high pressure of
blood and maintain the blood pressure as it recoils after the blood has passed through
Have a narrow lumen to maintain high pressure
Veins
Have a large lumen as blood pressure is low
Contain valves to prevent the backflow of blood as it is under low pressure
Capillaries
Have walls that are one cell thick so that substances can easily diffuse in and out of
them
Have ‘leaky’ walls so that blood plasma can leak out and form tissue fluid surrounding
cells
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Your notes
Adaptations of blood vessels
Arterioles and venules
As arteries divide more as they get further away from the heart, they get narrower
The narrow vessels that connect arteries to capillaries are called arterioles
Veins also get narrower the further away they are from the heart
The narrow vessels that connect capillaries to veins are called venules
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Your notes
The blood vessel network
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Blood Vessels & the Liver
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Blood Vessels & the Liver: Extended
Extended Tier Only
You must be able to identify the main blood vessels to and from the liver
The hepatic artery brings oxygenated blood from the heart to the liver
The hepatic vein brings deoxygenated blood from the liver back to the heart
The hepatic portal vein transports deoxygenated blood from the gut to the liver
The liver is supplied with blood by the hepatic artery and the hepatic portal vein, and
blood is carried away from the liver in the hepatic vein
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Components of Blood
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Components of Blood
Blood consists of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma
Composition of human blood
Components of the Blood Table
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Your notes
Identifying Red & White Blood Cells
You need to be able to identify red and white blood cells in photomicrographs and
diagrams
Red blood cells have a concave disc shape with no nucleus
White blood cells are usually round in shape with a nucleus
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Your notes
Blood micrograph
Components of Blood: Function
Plasma is important for the transport of carbon dioxide, digested food (nutrients), urea,
mineral ions, hormones and heat energy
Red blood cells transport oxygen around the body from the lungs to cells which require
it for aerobic respiration
They carry the oxygen in the form of oxyhaemoglobin
White blood cells defend the body against infection by pathogens by carrying out
phagocytosis and antibody production
Platelets are involved in helping the blood to clot
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Blood Clotting
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Blood Clotting
Platelets are fragments of cells which are involved in blood clotting and forming scabs
where the skin has been cut or punctured
Blood clotting prevents continued / significant blood loss from wounds
Scab formation seals the wound with an insoluble patch that prevents entry of
microorganisms that could cause infection
It remains in place until new skin has grown underneath it, sealing the skin again
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White Blood Cells
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Lymphocytes & Phagocytes: Extended
Extended Tier Only
White blood cells are part of the body’s immune system, defending against infection by
pathogenic microorganisms
There are two main types, phagocytes and lymphocytes
Phagocytes
Carry out phagocytosis by engulfing and digesting pathogens
Phagocytosis
Phagocytes have a sensitive cell surface membrane that can detect chemicals
produced by pathogenic cells
Once they encounter the pathogenic cell, they will engulf it and release digestive
enzymes to digest it
They can be easily recognised under the microscope by their multi-lobed nucleus and
their granular cytoplasm
Lymphocytes
Produce antibodies to destroy pathogenic cells and antitoxins to neutralise toxins
released by pathogens
They can easily be recognised under the microscope by their large round nucleus which
takes up nearly the whole cell and their clear, non-granular cytoplasm
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Conversion of Fibrinogen
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Conversion of Fibrinogen: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Platelets are fragments of cells which are involved in blood clotting and forming scabs
where the skin has been cut or punctured
Blood clotting prevents continued / significant blood loss from wounds
Scab formation seals the wound with an insoluble patch that prevents entry of
microorganisms that could cause infection
It remains in place until new skin has grown underneath it, sealing the skin again
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Your notes
How the blood clots
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When the skin is broken (i.e. there is a wound) platelets arrive to stop the bleeding
A series of reactions occur within the blood plasma Your notes
Platelets release chemicals that cause soluble fibrinogen proteins to convert into
insoluble fibrin and form an insoluble mesh across the wound, trapping red blood cells
and therefore forming a clot
The clot eventually dries and develops into a scab to protect the wound from bacteria
entering
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