🚀 Transportation in Animals and Plants – Blood & Beyond

 

🌟 Think & Imagine about why do we need a transportation  in plants and animals

💭 Imagine your city without buses, trains, or water pipes!

• How would food reach your home?
• How would garbage be removed?

👉 Just like cities need a transportation system so do  plants and animals need a transport system to  carry food, water, oxygen,  blood, and also to remove  wastes.

🔴 7.1 Circulatory System in Animals

1️⃣ Blood – The Life Fluid

Blood is the main transportation system in animals. It flows in vessels and performs many vital functions.

Functions of Blood:

• Carries digested food → small intestine → body cells.
• Carries oxygen → lungs → body cells.
• Removes wastes like carbon dioxide & urea.

Components of Blood:

1. Plasma – yellow liquid part; carries nutrients, hormones & waste.
2. RBCs (Red Blood Cells) – contain haemoglobin, bind oxygen, give red colour.
3. WBCs (White Blood Cells) – fight germs and protect the body.
4. Platelets – help in clotting during injuries.

2️⃣ Blood Vessels – The Pathways

• Arteries – carry oxygen-rich blood from heart → body parts. Thick walls, high pressure.
  Special case: Pulmonary artery carries CO₂-rich blood to lungs.
• Veins – carry CO₂-rich blood from body → heart. Thin walls, valves prevent backflow.
  Special case: Pulmonary vein carries O₂-rich blood to heart.
• Capillaries – very thin, connect arteries & veins, exchange gases and food.

3️⃣ Heart – The Pump of Life

• Location: Chest cavity, slightly left.
• Size: About a fist.

Structure:

• 4 chambers:
  • Right atrium & ventricle → handle CO₂ blood.
  • Left atrium & ventricle → handle O₂ blood.
• Partition prevents mixing.

Working:

• Continuous pumping = heartbeat.
• Each contraction + relaxation = 1 heartbeat.

Pulse & Heartbeat:

• Adult heart rate: ~72–80 per minute.
• Pulse = throbbing of arteries, same as heartbeat.
• Felt at wrist or neck.

Stethoscope:

• Tool used to hear heartbeat → chest piece, tube, ear tips.

4️⃣ Historical Note 🧑‍🔬

• William Harvey (1578–1657) discovered blood circulation.
• First rejected, later accepted as fact.

5️⃣ Do All Animals Have Blood?

• No!
• Sponges & Hydra – no blood vessels. Water around them provides oxygen & removes waste directly.

♻️ 7.2 Excretion in Animals

🔹 What is Excretion?

Process of removing harmful waste produced by cells.

👤 Human Excretory System

• Kidneys – filter waste, make urine.
• Ureters – tubes carrying urine to bladder.
• Urinary bladder – stores urine.
• Urethra – passes urine outside.

Facts:

• Adults pass 1–1.8 L of urine daily.
• Urine = 95% water, 2.5% urea, 2.5% salts/wastes.

Other ways:

• Sweat removes water & salts, cools body.

🐠 Waste Removal in Other Animals

• Fishes → excrete ammonia.
• Birds & reptiles → uric acid (white paste).
• Mammals & humans → urea.

⚠️ Kidney Failure

• Kidneys fail → waste builds in blood.
• Artificial cleaning = dialysis (artificial kidney).

🌱 7.3 Transport in Plants

1️⃣ Water & Mineral Transport

• Absorbed by root hairs from soil.
• Travel upward via xylem → stem → branches → leaves.
• Tall trees: upward pull created by transpiration suction.

2️⃣ Food Transport

• Food made in leaves (photosynthesis).
• Sent to roots, fruits, and other parts via phloem.

3️⃣ Transpiration

Loss of water from leaves through stomata.

Functions:

• Creates suction pull for water rise.
• Cools plant, like sweating in human

📝 Summary: Transportation in plants and animals

• Animals: Blood transports food, oxygen & waste.

• Circulatory system = heart + blood + vessels.

• Excretion system = kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra.

• Plants:

  • Xylem → water & minerals.

  • Phloem → food.

• Transpiration helps cooling + water pull.

Our body and plants are like busy cities. Blood vessels are highways, the heart is the power station, kidneys are waste plants, and xylem & phloem are pipelines. Without transport, life simply cannot run! 🚆🌱💓

🔗 Internal link: Learn more amazing biology notes on Curious Cornor
🔗 External link: Read about the human circulatory system on Britannica

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is transportation in plants and animals?

Transportation in plants and animals means the movement of food, water, oxygen, blood, and waste materials inside the body.

2. Why is blood important in transportation?

Blood carries oxygen, digested food, hormones, and waste. It connects all organs, just like highways connect a city.

3. How do plants transport water and food?

• Water & minerals move upward through xylem.
• Food (sugar) made in leaves moves to other parts through phloem.

4. What is the difference between arteries and veins?

• Arteries: Thick, carry oxygen-rich blood away from heart.
• Veins: Thin, carry carbon dioxide-rich blood to heart, contain valves.

5. What is transpiration in plants?

Transpiration is the loss of water from leaves through stomata. It helps in suction pull and keeps plants cool.

6. Which organs form the human excretory system?

The human excretory system includes:

• Kidneys
• Ureters
• Urinary bladder
• Urethra

7. What happens if kidneys stop working?

If kidneys fail, waste collects in blood. In such cases, dialysis is used to artificially clean the blood.

8. Do all animals have blood?

No. Simple animals like sponges and hydra do not have blood. They exchange gases and food directly with water.

🔗 Internal link: More study-friendly notes at Curious Cornor
🔗 External link: Learn deeper from NCERT Biology Resources