Types of Vessels - Capillaries
Biology: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 9.3.3
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.
Soluble nutrients and oxygen
- In capillaries, soluble nutrients and oxygen move out of the blood and into the cells.
Waste products
- In capillaries, waste products, such as carbon dioxide, move out of the cells and into the blood.
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.
Test yourself on Types of Vessels - Capillaries
Which of the following is an example of a waste product that moves into the blood in capillaries?
What do shunt vessels connect?
What would happen if capillaries had thicker walls and lower surface areas?