stylusdef Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 (edited) I might have an idea on how this works but I'm not completely sure. I figured I might as well go into this forum and ask all you IB Biology dorks! I'm in Pre-IB, so this is only like the basics. However... The circulatory system is like the circulation of blood throughout our bodies. "Oxygen poor" blood returns to the right side of the heart after it has completed its journey throughout the body, and is then pumped to the lungs which provide it with a new supply of oxygen. After this, the blood flows into the left side of the heart, where it is pumped out to the body through the aorta, until it eventually returns to the right side of the heart again and the cycle is repeated. The digestive system is like the food-processing system in our bodies. Food is transported from the mouth to the stomach through the gullet. The stomach contains digestive juices which (obviously) digest the food material. Partially digested food enters the small intestine in liquid form where it is turned into substances that can be used by cells. The blood vessels along the small intestine walls absorb these substances and blood cells are then able to transport these to the body's cells and tissues. So basically, the blood cells which are part of the circulatory system, transport food/metabolic substances (produced by organs in the digestive system) from the small intestine to the cells. Am I right? By the way! The blood vessels along the small intestine walls and throughout the body are like tubes, right? And blood cells flow through those, I guess? So when those metabolic substances in the small intestine are absorbed by blood vessels, those substances are then absorbed by blood cells which transport those to the cells? Thanks! Edited December 12, 2007 by stylusdef Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afterglow Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 (edited) Yay, physiology! First off, I might as well mention: "Oxygen poor" blood is called deoxygenated blood (= the blood that goes from organs to heart to lung) "Oxygen rich" blood is calledoxygenated blood (= the blood that goes from the lung to the heart to the organs) Gullet is also known as the esophagus/oesophagus (depends on which spelling system you use) The bolded words are very common words used in biology so it might be useful to know, just in case it shows up and you don't recognize it. The stomach doesn't actually 'digest food'. The digestion of food occurs throughout the whole digestive system (hence the name) and each organ has its function. The main region for digestion is actually in the small intestine (during absorption). In the stomach, pathogens are destroyed (most of them by the acidity of the stomach) and the stomach is for the digestion of proteins and this is rather important as I know that for instance in the IB exams you can get wrong answer for writing "digestion of food" as the function of the stomach. I know you're in pre-IB but keep it in mind, just in case The relationship between the circulatory and digestive system is mainly basic - without one, the other cannot function properly. The blood absorbs (takes in) nutrients in the small intestine. The blood help transport these nutrients so that it can be used by the cell tissues in the body. Not to mention, the importance of oxygen to organs (which then connects also everything to the respiratory system...) Um, as for the blood vessels. Blood (which consists of different compositions such as plasma, platelets, red blood cells (erythrocytes) and white cells (leukocytes) is transported through blood vessles (either arteries, veins or capillaries). I suppose you can say they are like tubes but they are different (the size and structure varies a great deal). There is a very dense capillary (the smallest blood vessel) network which (along with other factors as well) allow the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine to go faster and easier. Then the blood is transported throughout the body by capillaries, veins and arteriers. It is in capillaries that substances (such as nutrients) can enter and leave the blood since the artieries and veins are too thick and impermable. I hope I explained it okay! It is VERY late so I keep babel and am bound to have made some spelling and/or detail mistakes. I did also leave out a lot of details since I don't know if you need to know it yet. I am sure some of the other biology experts here could explain this perhaps even in more detail or in better words Edited December 12, 2007 by Afterglow Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylusdef Posted December 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2007 Thank you! I think I get this know! No, I definitely don't need a more detailed description. We just have to know the basic functions of the circulatory and digestive systems, as well as the organs involved in these. I just figured it might be useful to know how they interact to get the "whole" picture. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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