Which blood vessels have extremely thin walls to allow the exchange of materials between the blood and surrounding tissue cells?
Capillaries
Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels and their walls are only one cell thick. They form a network around tissue cells, so oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide and wastes can pass by diffusion between the blood and the surrounding cells.
So exchange of materials between blood and tissues takes place only through the capillaries, which link the smallest arteries to the smallest veins.
Arteries have thick, elastic and muscular walls because they carry blood away from the heart under high pressure. Veins have thinner walls than arteries but still have several layers, and they have valves to return blood to the heart. The vena cava is the largest vein, which brings blood back to the right atrium; none of these allows exchange with tissue cells.
Hence, Capillaries.
Similar Questions
How do the respiratory and circulatory systems work together during exercise?
What is a key difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration in animals?
A patient has a lung disorder that reduces oxygen uptake in the alveoli. What is the most likely effect on blood transport in the lungs?
How does nutrition occur in Amoeba?
Which process occurs when blood passes through the lungs during circulation?
Why is it essential for an organism’s body to carry out life processes during periods of rest?
A plant is kept in a sealed glass container for several days. Which life process is most likely to be affected?
A doctor is assessing two patients: one with high systolic blood pressure and another with high diastolic blood pressure. If these conditions remain untreated, what is the most likely outcome?
Which process directly contributes to the release of oxygen into the atmosphere?
Which type of blood vessel is primarily responsible for exchanging nutrients and waste between blood and tissues?
Important Questions from Life Processes
Which one of the following is the process involved in photosynthesis?
Which element is needed by the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine hormone?
Identify the correct match of plant hormones with their functions.
What is required for the synthesis of thyroxin hormones?
Which of the following receptors help in the detection of taste?
