9.3.3

Types of Vessels - Capillaries

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Capillaries

Arteries branch into much smaller vessels, called capillaries. Capillaries have thin walls and pass very close to the body cells. This means that there can be an efficient exchange of in and out of the blood.

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Soluble nutrients and oxygen

  • In capillaries, soluble nutrients and oxygen move out of the blood and into the cells.
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Waste products

  • In capillaries, waste products, such as carbon dioxide, move out of the cells and into the blood.
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Shunt vessels

  • Shunt vessels are blood vessels that connect arteries directly to veins, by-passing capillaries.
  • This allows vasoconstriction and vasodilation (extra control of blood flow) when necessary.

Jump to other topics

1Classification of Living Organisms

2Organisation of the Organism

3Movement Into & Out of Cells

4Biological Molecules

5Enzymes

6Plant Nutrition

7Human Nutrition

8Transport in Plants

9Transport in Animals

10Diseases & Immunity

11Gas Exchange in Humans

12Respiration

13Excretion in Humans

14Coordination & Response

15Drugs

16Reproduction

17Inheritance

18Variation & Selection

19Organisms & Their Environment

20Human Influence on Ecosystems

21Biotechnology & Genetic Modification

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