circulatory system

plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets

• carry and remove CO2 • haemoglobin reacts with oxygen from lungs to form oxyhaeomoglobin, transports oxygen to working muscles. in sport: high red blood cell count means high aerobic capacity, very good for endurance. low rbc count means anemia, not enough iron, lack energy

• fight infection, kill germs, defend against pathogens • engulf/create antibodies in sport: if athlete is ill, may be unable to train/compete. wbc fight infection

• transports everything around body (RBC, WBC, platelets, hormones, nutrients) in sport: vital as move RBC around, so move oxygen to working muscles to provide energy

• enables blood to clot • prevent blood loss at a cut (travel to area, form scab, protect from infection) in sport: vital if cut, quick recovery

arteries, veins, capillaries

carry blood away from the heart under high pressure (usually oxygenated)

carry blood toward the heart under low pressure (usually deoxygenated)

allows gaseous exchange to occur between the blood and mucles

• thick, muscular wall • small lumen (increases during exercise)

• thin wall • wide lumen • valves to stop backflow

• link between arteries and veins • very thin wall (one cell thick) • tiny

vein bringing deoxygenated blood back to heart

artery moving oxygenated blood away from the heart. it has thicker walls to maintain high BP and moves blood further

moves deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to lungs

moves oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium

prevent the backflow of blood

the wall that divides the two sides of the heart

receives deoxygenated blood from the vena cava

receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary vein

receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the lungs

receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium and pumps it to the rest of the body

• deoxygenated blood flows into right atrium via vena cava • deoxygenated blood ejected from right atrium • into right ventricle. it relaxes to fill with blood then contracts, • sending blood to the lungs via pulmonary artery under high pressure • gaseous exchange occurs in the alveoli and blood is now oxygenated • oxygenated blood carried via pulmonary vein (under lower pressure) back to heart, to left atrium • left atrium relaxes and fills with blood • oxygenated blood then moves to left ventricle. left ventricle then contracts, • sending oxygenated blood to the rest of the body via aorta under high pressure