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Difficulty: MediumCirculatory and Transport Systems in Animals

Arrange the following blood vessels and cardiac structures in the correct sequential order through which a red blood cell travels from the capillary network of the small intestine to the alveolar capillaries of the lungs in a mammal.

  1. 1Hepatic portal vein
  2. 2Hepatic vein
  3. 3Posterior vena cava
  4. 4Right ventricle
  5. 5Pulmonary artery

Answer

The correct anatomical sequence is: Hepatic portal vein → Hepatic vein → Posterior vena cava → Right ventricle → Pulmonary artery.
Blood absorbed from the small intestine enters the hepatic portal vein to reach the liver. After hepatic processing, it exits via the hepatic vein into the posterior vena cava. The posterior vena cava delivers deoxygenated blood to the right atrium, which passes into the right ventricle. Upon contraction, the right ventricle pumps blood into the pulmonary artery toward the alveolar capillaries of the lungs.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Trace blood flow from the digestive tract to the liver
Deoxygenated, nutrient-rich blood absorbed at the intestinal capillaries enters the hepatic portal vein.
The hepatic portal system conducts intestinal blood to the liver for metabolic processing and detoxification prior to systemic distribution.
2
Trace hepatic venous drainage into systemic venous return
Blood passes through liver sinusoids, leaves via the hepatic vein, and empties into the posterior (inferior) vena cava.
The hepatic vein is the primary vessel that returns processed hepatic blood into the main inferior systemic trunk.
3
Trace entry into the heart and exit into pulmonary circulation
The posterior vena cava empties into the right atrium, blood flows to the right ventricle, and ventricular contraction pumps it into the pulmonary artery.
The right side of the mammalian heart receives deoxygenated systemic blood and propels it through the pulmonary artery to reach the lungs for oxygenation.

Key Concept

Hepatic portal pathway and pulmonary circulatory sequence in mammals
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Topics

Circulatory and Transport Systems in Animals

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