Biology 2010 Student Edition

Published by Prentice Hall
ISBN 10: 9780133669510
ISBN 13: 978-0-13366-951-0

Chapter 33, Circulatory and Respiratory Systems - Assessment - 33.1 The Circulatory System - Understand Key Concepts/Think Critically - Page 972: 5

Answer

Blood coming into the right atrium is oxygen-poor. It is squeezed into the right ventricle and then transported to the lungs via the pulmonary artery. At the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. This now oxygen-rich blood travels via the pulmonary vein back to the heart, where it enters the left atrium. From the left atrium, the blood is squeezed into the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps this oxygen-rich blood into the aorta, where the blood is then distributed to all parts of the body via smaller blood vessels. When the blood reaches the capillaries of the body, oxygen is released to the cells while carbon dioxide is picked up by the blood. The capillaries eventually become venules and veins. The veins finally unite to form the two branches of the vena cava, the largest veins in the body, which then returns the oxygen-poor blood to the right atrium.

Work Step by Step

Blood coming into the right atrium is oxygen-poor. It is squeezed into the right ventricle and then transported to the lungs via the pulmonary artery. At the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. This now oxygen-rich blood travels via the pulmonary vein back to the heart, where it enters the left atrium. From the left atrium, the blood is squeezed into the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps this oxygen-rich blood into the aorta, where the blood is then distributed to all parts of the body via smaller blood vessels. When the blood reaches the capillaries of the body, oxygen is released to the cells while carbon dioxide is picked up by the blood. The capillaries eventually become venules and veins. The veins finally unite to form the two branches of the vena cava, the largest veins in the body, which then returns the oxygen-poor blood to the right atrium.
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