PLANT AND ANIMAL ORGAN SYSTEMS air spaces are particularly large in the vicinity of the

AND THEIR FUNCTIONS (GAS EXCHANGE stomata, where gas exchange with the outside air
AND TRANSPORT/CIRCULATION) occurs.

PLANTS Roots and Stems

Plants exchange their gases with the environment Roots
in a straightforward way. In order to carry on Plant roots take oxygen from the air that is present
photosynthesis, green plants need a supply of in between the particles of soil. Root hair, an
carbon dioxide and a means of disposing oxygen. extension of the root epidermal cells, is in direct
● An abundant supply of carbon dioxide must contact with the soil. Oxygen diffuses in the root
be present in the leaf of a plant and oxygen hair, reaching all the other cells of the roots. It is
from photosynthesis must be removed. through the root hairs that only carbon dioxide gets
Contrary to animals, plants do not have diffused into them and is expelled from the roots of
specialized organs for gas exchange. a plant. Respiration in roots of the plant occurs by
● In aquatic plants, water passes among the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the
tissues providing a medium for gas root hairs.
exchange, while in terrestrial plants, air
enters the tissues and the gases diffuse into Stems
the moisture bathing the internal cells. The hard stem of big plants and trees has lenticels in
● Each part of the plant takes care of its own them. Lenticels are in the small area of a bark.
gas exchange needs. Diffusion is the only These cells are loosely placed, allowing gaseous
process through which much needed oxygen exchange of respiratory gases between air and
is supplied to all the cells of the plants. living cells of the woody stem.
Diffusion occurs in leaves, roots, and stems.
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Leaves You have learned already that organisms require
food, water, and oxygen for survival. These are
● Plant leaf consists of stomata (singular: transported to different parts of the body while
stoma) that allow gas exchange between the wastes are excreted from the body. The circulatory
surrounding air and the photosynthetic cells system functions to support life as it feeds our cells
inside the leaf. with food and oxygen. Part of the task of this system
● These stomata regulate CO2 uptake for is the removal of waste products.
photosynthesis and are the major avenues
for the evaporative loss of water. Animal Circulatory System
● The term stoma refers to the stomatal pore The heart and the blood vessels function to
flanked by two guard cells, which regulate transport substances and together form the
the opening and closing of the pore. circulatory system. More complex animals have
In between the upper and lower epidermal layers of either open or closed circulatory systems.
a leaf is a region called the mesophyll (from the In an open circulatory system, there is no
Greek words mesos: middle, phyll: leaf). distinction between blood and interstitial fluid. This
Mesophyll consists mainly of parenchyma cells general body fluid is more correctly called
specialized for photosynthesis. There are two hemolymph.
distinct areas of leaves: In a closed circulatory system, blood is confined
The palisade mesophyll consisting of one or more to vessels and is distinct from the interstitial fluid.
layers of elongated parenchyma cells on the upper There are two divisions of the circulatory system:
part of the leaf and the spongy mesophyll below the lymphatic Source: ncert.nic.in division (helps
the palisade mesophyll. These parenchyma cells are return tissue to the blood) and the blood division (a
more loosely arranged, with a labyrinth of air closed circuit). There are three main parts of the
spaces through which CO2 and oxygen circulate circulatory system: the heart, blood vessels, and
around the cells and up to the palisade region. The blood.
 oxygen before it can proceed to the different parts
The Human Heart of the body.
The heart is a bundle of muscles about the size of
the fist. It is located in the center of the chest in Blood
between the lungs and is tilted to one side and What happens when you get a cut on your body?
points downward to the left. The heart is divided Blood flows out. But what is blood? Blood is a fluid
into two chambers: the top chamber called atrium that carries most of the materials necessary for life.
(plural: atria) and the bottom chamber called the It transports substances like digested food from the
ventricle. Between each atrium and ventricle is a small intestine to the other parts of the body and
valve that prevents the blood from flowing carries oxygen from the lungs. There are two
backwards. It acts like a one-way door that keeps different parts of the blood: the nonliving liquid part
the blood move in only one direction. There are called plasma (yellowish fluid, 55% of the blood)
four bloods in the heart: the tricuspid (right), and the three kinds of cells (red blood cells, white
bicuspid (left), pulmonary, and aortic valves. The blood cells, and platelets – 45% of the blood).
tricuspid and bicuspid valves open when the
atria(singular: atrium) contract. The pulmonary Red blood cells (RBCs) also called erythrocytes
and aortic valves open when the ventricles contract. are the key to life. They constantly travel through
We can have one heartbeat cycle when these two the body, delivering oxygen and removing waste.
phases are repeated. The heartbeat sound is caused White blood cells (WBCs) are larger and less
by the contraction of the muscles and the slamming numerous than RBC. They are also called
shut of the valves. leukocytes. They circulate in the blood for weeks
before leaving the blood and entering other tissues.
Blood Vessels They also help defend the body against infection.
The circulatory system is a closed system, and Platelets or thrombocytes are small, colorless cell
blood moves through the body in tubes called fragments in our blood that form clots and stop or
vessels. There are 3 kinds of blood vessels that prevent bleeding. They are made in our bone
make up the circulatory system: arteries, veins, and marrow, the sponge-like tissue in our bones. The
capillaries. bone marrow contains stem cells that develop into
red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Arteries have thick muscular walls. They are Reviewer ni Jessy^^ ★
elastic and expand every time the ventricles
contract. They carry blood away from the heart.
The blood in the arteries is bright red because it
contains much oxygen. The large artery is the
aorta.
Veins have muscular walls but are much thinner
than the walls of the arteries. They carry blood
toward the heart. The blood in the veins is blue in
color because it lacks oxygen. Some of our veins
can easily be seen as these are found right under the
surface of our skin. Capillaries are tiny vessels that
connect arteries to veins. The wall of capillaries is
only one-cell thick and red blood cells pass through
them in single file.

The circulatory system is composed of two

separate systems: one part of the system pumps
blood to the lungs and the other part pumps blood to
the body. Blood needs to go to the lungs to pick up