Flashcards on Blood Vessels: Structure and Function
Blood Vessels: Structure and Function for Students
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Blood Vessels and Circulation
14 cards
Card 1
Question: What are the three main types of blood vessel and their basic roles?
Answer: Arteries carry blood away from the heart; capillaries exchange materials at the tissues; veins carry blood to the heart.
Card 2
Question: Why are artery walls strong and elastic?
Answer: Because the heart pumps blood out at high pressure, so arteries need thick walls, strong muscle layers and elastic fibres to stretch and spring back.
Card 3
Question: How does the structure of arteries compare to their lumen size?
Answer: Artery walls are thick compared to the size of the lumen (the hole down the middle).
Card 4
Question: List three structural features of arteries that help them withstand high pressure.
Answer: Thick walls, thick layers of muscle, and elastic fibres.
Card 5
Question: How do capillaries support exchange of substances with body cells?
Answer: They carry blood very close to every cell, have permeable walls, and walls usually only one cell thick to decrease diffusion distance.
Card 6
Question: What substances do capillaries supply to cells and remove from cells?
Answer: They supply food and oxygen and take away waste such as carbon dioxide (CO₂).
Card 7
Question: Why are capillary walls being one cell thick important?
Answer: Reducing the wall thickness increases the rate of diffusion by decreasing the distance substances must travel.
Card 8
Question: How are veins adapted for returning blood to the heart at low pressure?
Answer: Veins have thinner walls than arteries, a bigger lumen to help blood flow despite lower pressure, and valves to keep blood flowing in the right direct
Card 9
Question: What is the function of valves in veins?
Answer: To help keep the blood flowing in the right direction toward the heart.
Card 10
Question: Describe how arteries, capillaries and veins connect in the circulatory system.
Answer: Arteries branch into capillaries which exchange substances with tissues; capillaries then join up to form veins that return blood to the heart.