Chapter 37 Vocab

Heart - main organ of the circulatory system
Atrium - large muscular upper chamber of the heart that receives and holds blood that is about to enter the ventricle
Valves - flap of connective tissue between an atrium and a ventricle or in a vein that prevents back flow of blood.
Pulmonary arteries - pathway in which the right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs
Veins - a blood vessel that returns blood to the heart
Plasma - straw colored fluid that makes up about 55 percent of blood; consists of about 90% water and about 10% dissolved gases, salts, nutrients, enzymes, hormones, waste products an plasma proteins.
Pharynx - muscular tube at the end of the gastrovascular cavity or throat that connect the mouth with the rest of the digestive tract and serves as a passageway for air and food.
Trachea - windpipe; tube through which air moves
Ventricles - thick walled lower chamber of the heart that pumps blood out of the heart
Pulmonary circulation - pathway in which the right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs.
Systemic circulation - pathway in which the left side of the heart pumps blood to all of the body except the lungs.
Aorta - large blood vessel in mammals through which blood travels from the left ventricle to all parts of the body except the lungs
Arteries - large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the tissues of the body
Capillaries - smallest blood vessel; brings nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and absorbs carbon dioxide and waste products
Hemoglobin - iron containing protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body.
Lymph - fluid lost by the body into surrounding tissue
Platelet - cell fragment released by bone marrow
Larynx - structure in the throat containing the vocal cords
Bronchus - passageway leading from the trachea to a lung
Alveolus - tiny air sac at the end of the bronchiole in the lungs that provides surface area for gas exchange to occur
Diaphragm - large, flat muscle at the bottom of the chest cavity that contracts during breathing, pulling the bottom of the chest cavity down and increasing its volume.