Describe the organization of the vertebrate circulatory system

In all animals, except a few simple types, the circulatory system is used to transport nutrients and gases through the body. Simple diffusion allows some water, nutrient, waste, and gas exchange into primitive animals that are only a few cell layers thick; however, bulk flow is the only method by which the entire body of larger more complex organisms is accessed.

What You’ll Learn to Do

• Describe an open circulatory system
• Describe a closed circulatory system
• Compare and contrast the organization and evolution of the vertebrate circulatory system

Learning Activities

The learning activities for this section include the following:

• Circulatory System Architecture
• Circulatory System Variation in Animals
• Self Check: The Circulatory System