Life Processes- Transport
Transport In Human Beings
The circulatory system is a vital transport system in human beings that ensures the continuous
supply of oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to all body cells, and the removal of waste products like
carbon dioxide and urea. It is also called the cardiovascular system.
Main Components:
1. Heart:
○ A muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body.
○ Has four chambers: two atria (upper chambers) and two ventricles (lower chambers).
○ Maintains double circulation (pulmonary and systemic).
2. Blood Vessels:
○ Arteries: Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart (except pulmonary artery).
○ Veins: Carry deoxygenated blood towards the heart (except pulmonary vein).
○ Capillaries: Thin-walled vessels where exchange of gases, nutrients, and wastes
occurs between blood and tissues.
3. Blood:
A fluid connective tissue composed of:
○ Red Blood Cells (RBCs): Carry oxygen using haemoglobin.
○ White Blood Cells (WBCs): Fight infections and provide immunity.
○ Platelets: Help in blood clotting.
○ Plasma: Liquid part of blood that transports nutrients, hormones, and waste products.
4. Lymphatic System (supportive part):
○ Consists of lymph, lymph vessels, and lymph nodes.
○ Helps in returning excess tissue fluid to the bloodstream and in immune defense.
Roles/Functions of the Circulatory System:
● Transport of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide:- Carries oxygen from lungs to tissues and carbon
dioxide from tissues to lungs.
● Transport of Nutrients:Delivers nutrients absorbed from the digestive tract to body cells.
● Removal of Wastes: Carries waste products like urea to kidneys and carbon dioxide to lungs.
● Transport of Hormones: Distributes hormones from endocrine glands to target organs.
● Regulation of Body Temperature: Helps in maintaining homeostasis by distributing heat
evenly.
● Protection Against Diseases:WBCs and antibodies in the blood help fight infections.
● Blood Clotting: Platelets help seal wounds and prevent blood loss.
Structure of the Human Heart
The human heart is a muscular, hollow organ about the size of a fist. It acts as a pump to circulate
blood throughout the body and is located in the chest cavity, slightly tilted to the left.
Main Structural Features:
1. Chambers (4 in total):
○ Right Atrium: Receives deoxygenated blood from the body via the superior and
inferior vena cava.
○ Right Ventricle: Pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs through the pulmonary
artery.
○ Left Atrium: Receives oxygenated blood from the lungs via pulmonary veins.
○ Left Ventricle: Pumps oxygenated blood to the entire body through the aorta.
2. Valves (Ensure one-way flow of blood):
○ Tricuspid Valve (between right atrium and right ventricle)
○ Pulmonary Valve (between right ventricle and pulmonary artery)
○ Bicuspid/Mitral Valve (between left atrium and left ventricle)
○ Aortic Valve (between left ventricle and aorta)
3. Major Blood Vessels:
○ Vena Cava: Brings deoxygenated blood from the body to the right atrium.
○ Pulmonary Artery: Carries deoxygenated blood from right ventricle to lungs.
○ Pulmonary Veins: Bring oxygenated blood from lungs to the left atrium.
○ Aorta: Largest artery; carries oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the body.
4. Septum:
○ A thick wall of muscle that divides the right and left sides of the heart to prevent
mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
5. Pericardium:
○ A double-layered protective membrane around the heart filled with fluid to reduce
friction during heartbeats.
2. Advantages of Double Circulation
● Ensures complete separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
● Provides efficient oxygen and nutrient delivery to body tissues.
● Supports higher metabolic rates, necessary for warm-blooded animals like mammals and
birds to maintain a constant body temperature.
Diagram of Double Circulation
Flowchart of Double Circulation
Difference Between Double and Single Circulation
Feature Single Circulation Double Circulation
Circulatory Blood passes through the heart once Blood passes through the heart twice in one
Pathway in one complete cycle. complete cycle.
Found in Fishes Mammals and birds
Oxygenation Oxygenation occurs at gills only. Oxygenation occurs in lungs and
deoxygenation in body tissues.
Efficiency Less efficient More efficient due to separation of
oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure- Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts against the walls of blood vessels. It is
much higher in arteries than in veins due to the force generated by the heart’s pumping action.
There are two main types of blood pressure:
● Systolic Pressure: This is the pressure in the arteries during ventricular systole (when the
heart's ventricles contract).
○ Normal value: 120 mm Hg
● Diastolic Pressure: This is the pressure in the arteries during ventricular diastole (when the
heart relaxes between beats).
○ Normal value: 80 mm Hg
Blood pressure is measured using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer.
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
● Hypertension refers to abnormally high blood pressure.
● It is usually caused by the constriction of arterioles, which increases resistance to blood flow.
● If left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues such as:
○ Rupture of arteries
○ Internal bleeding
○ Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
Blood Vessels:
Difference Between Arteries and Veins
Feature Arteries Veins
Blood Type and Carry oxygenated (except pulmonary artery) Carry deoxygenated (except
direction from the heart to all parts of the body pulmonary vein) from the various
parts of the body to the heart
Wall Thickness Thick and elastic Thin and less elastic
Valves No valves Have valves to prevent backflow
Pressure Blood flows at a high pressure Blood flows at a low pressure
. Role of Capillaries
● Capillaries are microscopic blood vessels connecting arteries and veins.
● Enable exchange of gases (O₂ & CO₂), nutrients, and waste between blood and body tissues.
● Their thin walls (one cell thick) allow efficient diffusion.
● Exceptional Blood Vessels
Some vessels deviate from the general rule of arteries carrying oxygenated blood and veins carrying
deoxygenated blood:
● Pulmonary artery: Carries deoxygenated blood from heart to lungs.
● Pulmonary vein: Carries oxygenated blood from lungs to heart.
Lymph
Lymph is a clear, pale yellow fluid that is part of the lymphatic system. It plays a crucial role in
transporting nutrients, draining excess fluid from tissues, and defending the body against infections.
How is Lymph Formed?
1. Filtration of Blood in Capillaries:
○ Blood flows through capillaries under high pressure.
○ Some plasma (without red blood cells and large proteins) leaks out into the spaces
between cells.
○ This fluid is called tissue fluid or interstitial fluid.
2. Formation of Lymph:
○ Most of this tissue fluid is reabsorbed into nearby blood capillaries.
○ The remaining fluid enters the lymph capillaries, becoming lymph.
3. Transport via Lymphatic System:
○ Lymph flows through lymph vessels, passing through lymph nodes (which filter germs
and debris).
○ Finally, lymph is returned to the bloodstream via large lymphatic ducts.
Role of Lymph in Circulation
● Lymph is a colourless fluid derived from blood plasma.
● Functions:
○ Returns excess tissue fluid to the bloodstream.Helps maintain fluid balance in the
body.
○ Transports fats from the digestive system (via lacteals).
○ Assists immune responses by carrying white blood cells (lymphocytes).
Basis of Blood Lymph
Comparison
Colour Red, due to hemoglobin in Colourless (no RBCs, no hemoglobin)
RBCs
Cells Present RBCs, WBCs, and platelets WBCs (lymphocytes); no RBCs, very
few platelets
Plasma Plasma contains proteins Plasma-like fluid, but with less protein
Circulation Circulates in blood vessels Circulates in lymph vessels; connects
(arteries, veins, capillaries) with blood via subclavian veins
Function Transports gases (O₂, CO₂), Collects tissue fluid, returns it to blood,
nutrients, hormones, and absorbs fats from intestine (via
wastes; provides immunity and lacteals), provides immunity (lymph
clotting nodes)
Pressure Flows under high pressure due Flows under low pressure (no direct
to heart pumping heart pumping, relies on body
movements and valves)
Role and Maintenance by Platelets in the Circulatory System
Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are small, disc-shaped cell fragments in the blood that play a
critical role in maintaining the integrity of the circulatory system.
When the system of blood vessels (tubes) develops a leak due to injury, several things can go
wrong:
● Blood loss from the vessels can be life-threatening.
● Drop in blood pressure occurs, which reduces the efficiency of the heart's pumping system.
● This can disrupt the supply of oxygen and nutrients to body tissues.
To prevent such issues, platelets constantly circulate in the bloodstream and act as emergency
responders. When an injury or cut occurs:
1. Platelets rush to the site of the injury.
2. They stick to the damaged blood vessel walls..
3. The clot seals the leak, stopping further bleeding and preserving blood pressure.
This natural clotting mechanism helps ensure that even when the vessel system is damaged, blood
loss is minimized, and the function of the circulatory system is maintained.
Transportation in Plants
Why is Transportation Needed in Plants?
● Photosynthesis occurs in leaves, using CO₂ from the air and water + minerals from the soil.
● Other raw materials (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus) are absorbed from soil by roots.
● These substances need to travel long distances to reach all plant parts.
● Diffusion is too slow for tall or large plants → a specialised transport system is needed.
I. Transport of Water and Minerals – Xylem
Xylem Tissue
● Made of vessels and tracheids.
● These are dead, hollow, and lignified cells arranged end-to-end.
● They form a continuous column from roots to leaves.
Steps of Water and Mineral Transport
1. Active Absorption at Roots-Root Pressure
● Root hairs actively absorb mineral ions using energy (ATP).
● This creates a concentration gradient (ions more inside the root cells).
● Water moves into the root cells from soil via osmosis.
● This continuous entry of water into the xylem creates a positive pressure called root
pressure.
● Effect:
○ Pushes water upward in the stem.
○ But this force is weak → it can move water only a few meters, so it is effective in
short plants or at night (when transpiration is low).
2. Transpiration Pull (Main Force)
● How it happens:
○ In daytime, water evaporates → exits through stomata (transpiration).
○ Water evaporates,creating a negative pressure (suction force).
○ This pulls water from nearby xylem vessels into the mesophyll cells to replace the lost
water.
○ Due to cohesion (water molecules stick to each other) and adhesion (water molecules
stick to xylem walls), a continuous column of water is pulled upward from roots to
leaves.
● Effect:
○ This transpiration pull is strong enough to pull water to the top of tall trees (100 m or
more).
○ It is the main force for upward water movement in plants.
○ Cools the plant (temperature regulation).
○ Maintains continuous flow of water from roots.
II. Transport of Food – Phloem
Phloem Tissue
● Composed of:
○ Sieve tubes (main conducting cells)
○ Companion cells (assist in transport)
○ Phloem parenchyma and phloem fibres
● Living tissue, unlike xylem.
Translocation
● Definition: Transport of soluble products of photosynthesis (mainly sucrose), amino acids,
and other organic materials.
● Direction: Bidirectional (can move both up and down).
Substances Transported by Phloem:
● Sugars (sucrose)
● Amino acids
● Hormones
● Stored food from roots/stems to growing buds/fruits/seeds
Mechanism of Translocation (Pressure Flow Hypothesis)
1. Loading of Sugars:
○ Sucrose produced in leaves is actively loaded into sieve tubes using ATP.
○ This increases osmotic pressure inside the sieve tubes.
2. Water Enters by Osmosis:
○ Water from adjacent xylem enters the phloem due to high sugar concentration.
○ This creates high turgor pressure in the source region (leaf).
3. Flow Toward Sink:
○ The high pressure causes sugar solution to flow toward regions with lower pressure
(roots, fruits, buds) called sink.
4. Unloading at Sink:
○ Sugars are actively removed from phloem at sink tissues.
○ Water exits the phloem, and pressure drops.
Important Point:
● Unlike xylem, phloem transport requires energy (ATP).
● It is controlled and based on the plant's needs (e.g., sugar stored in roots in winter may move
to buds in spring).
Comparison: Xylem vs. Phloem
Feature Xylem Phloem
Function Transport of water and minerals Transport of food and organic solutes
Direction of flow Only upward Both upward and downward
Tissue type Mostly dead (vessels & tracheids) Living (sieve tubes & companion cells)
Energy used No (passive) Yes (active – requires ATP)
Mechanism Transpiration pull, root pressure Pressure flow (source → sink)
