Animal Transport Systems
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All animal cells require a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen,
and continuous removal of wastes in order to survive. The ways in
which animals achieve this are diverse with an equally varying array
of structures and functions to help them do it.
The substances required by animal cells can be transported to
them through simple diffusion but only through one cell. Small
organisms can achieve this, such as flatworms and sponges. Larger,
more complex organisms such as insects, fish and mammals require
circulatory systems that transport materials because diffusion is far
too slow and inefficient to supply all the cells in their bodies
adequately.
By using examples from three very different types of animals, I
can show how they all strive to achieve the same necessary outcomes
but in unique ways. Animals achieve this with systems that can be
both advantageous and limiting in the way they function.
The three types of animals that I will explore and compare are
insects, fish and mammals. All three have circulatory systems that
incorporate the principal components of transport systems, which are
blood (liquid), a heart (pump), and blood vessels (tubes). However,
insects have a very simplified version of a circulatory system...