Importance of the Circulatory System

It is one of the most complex and important mechanisms involved in the development of multicellular organisms, and although you may consider that its function is limited to the flow of blood throughout the body, its importance implies a much broader pattern of functions, without which all other metabolic processes could not take place. cape.

By further analyzing what the blood circulation represents biologically, it is presented as the main means of transport to get all nutrients from the intestine, to each of the other organs, so that processes such as protein synthesis, the transformation of the carbs in energy and the use of lipids in the generation of cells, just to mention some of the most basic examples of what the body requires to function.

The circulatory system also fulfills an essential role for the performance of the immune system, by allowing the flow of white blood cells and other cells responsible for defending our body against microorganisms.

Since blood is made up of a high amount of hemoglobin – a protein that gives it its characteristic red color – and As this is responsible for the transport of oxygen, the main importance of the circulatory system is to also allow the

distribution of oxygen to all parts of the body, thus being able to develop the generation of energy in each of its cells.

Structures of the Circulatory System

At the structural level, the circulatory system is made up of the heart, veins, and arteries, which are connected to the various organs and extend to the limbs, however these are only the larger parts of this complex system; At a much deeper level, in the other tissues of the body, the circulatory system extends the flow of blood through tiny tubules called capillaries.

It is worth noting the great importance that the capillaries have in the functioning of the circulatory system, since they are the ones that allow the blood supply to all the organs. other tissues, especially muscles, mucous membranes and skin, due to their high need for nutrients and oxygen to carry out their motor and chemicals. This condition of high capillarity is the cause of bleeding almost instantaneously when making a cut in the skin, even if we have not hurt any vein or artery.

Another very important component that is currently considered an essential part of the circulatory system is the lymphatic system, which is It is a circuit of ganglia and vessels independent of the blood vessels, through which other types of substances flow through a liquid called lymph, which fulfills functions both at the circulatory level with the transport of proteins and nutrients, and at the immune level, leading to all parts the cells responsible for the defense of the organism, sharing in this way the work that the system itself fulfills in both functions circulatory.

The circulation muscle

As it is a whole mechanism biologically designed to maintain the constant circulation of a liquid, to guarantee its operation a structure that operates as a pumping station and, precisely, that work is the one that corresponds to the heart, a special muscle that is in charge of attracting to him the blood from the body, by means of the veins, to pump it towards the lungs so that it returns to be oxygenated and to receive it again to send it to the entire body through the arteries, and all this thanks to a harmonious dynamic existing between its four compartments: the two auricles and the two ventricles.

As a curious fact we find that this configuration of four chambers in the heart is typical of mammals, birds and only some of the largest reptiles, crocodiles, In the case of fish, their heart only has one atrium and one ventricle, and for amphibians and most reptiles, the heart is divided into two atria and three. ventricles.

All this differentiation between the divisions that the hearts of vertebrate animals present, is closely linked to the efficiency of their respiratory systems and lungs, demonstrating at an evolutionary level, that the characteristics of a system depend directly on the conditions of the others, depending on the scope of a optimal balance for the maximum use of the resources obtained and generated by each part of the organism.

References

Salvat Library (1973). The evolution of the species. Barcelona, ​​Spain. Salvat Editors.

Du Praw, E. (1971). Cellular and molecular biology. HE. Barcelona, ​​Spain. Omega Editions, S.A.

Hickman, C. et al. (1998) Integral Principles of Zoology. 11th Ed. Madrid, Spain. McGraw-Hill Interamericana.

Lehninger, A. (1977). Biochemistry. 2nd Edition. Havana City, Cuba. Editorial People and Education.

Mathews, C. et al. (2005). Biochemistry. 3rd Edition. Madrid Spain. Pearson–Addison Wesley.

Villa, C. (1996). Biology. 8th Edition. Mexico. McGraw-Hill.