Vascular systems. Hearts

All systems involving the consistent movement of circulating fluid require at least one repeating pump and, if flow is to be in one direction, usually some arrangement of valves to prevent backflow. The simplest form of animal circulatory pump consists of a blood vessel down which passes a wave of muscular contraction, called peristalsis, that forces the enclosed blood in the direction of contraction. Valves may or may not be present. This type of heart is widely found among invertebrates, and there may be many pulsating vessels in a single individual.

In the earthworm, the main dorsal (aligned along the back) vessel contracts from posterior to anterior 15 to 20 times per minute, pumping blood toward the head. At the same time, the fivepaired segmental lateral (side) vessels, which branch from the dorsal vessel and link it to the ventral (aligned along the bottom) vessel, pulsate with their own independent rhythms. Although unusual, it is possible for a peristaltic heart to reverse direction. After a series of contractions in one direction, the hearts of tunicates (sea squirts) gradually slow down and eventually stop. After a pause the heart starts again, with reverse contractions pumping the blood in the opposite direction.

An elaboration of the simple peristaltic heart is found in the tubular heart of most arthropods, in which part of the dorsal vessel is expanded to form one or more linearly arranged chambers with muscular walls. The walls are perforated by pairs of lateral openings (ostia) that allow blood to flow into the heart from a large surrounding sinus, the pericardium. The heart may be suspended by alary muscles, contraction of which expands the heart and increases blood flow into it. The direction of flow is controlled by valves arranged in front of the in-current ostia.

Chambered hearts with valves and relatively thick muscular walls are less commonly found ininvertebrates but do occur in some mollusks, especially cephalopods (octopus and squid). Blood from the gills enters one to four auricles (depending on the species) and is passed backto the tissues by contraction of the ventricle. The direction of flow is controlled by valves between the chambers. The filling and emptying of the heart are controlled by regular rhythmical contractions of the muscular wall.

In addition to the main systemic heart, many species have accessory booster hearts at critical points in the circulatory system. Cephalopods have special muscular dilations, the branchial hearts, that pump blood through the capillaries, and insects may have additional ampullar hearts at the points of attachment of many of their appendages.

The control of heart rhythm may be either myogenic (originating within the heart muscle itself) or neurogenic (originating in nerve ganglia). The hearts of the invertebrate mollusks, like those of vertebrates, are myogenic. They are sensitive to pressure and fail to give maximum beats unless distended; the beats become stronger and more frequent with increasing blood pressure. Although under experimental conditions acetylcholine (a substance that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse) inhibits molluscan heartbeat, indicating some stimulation of the heart muscle by the nervous system, cardiac muscle contraction will continue in excised hearts with no connection to the central nervous system. Tunicate hearts have two noninnervated, myogenic pacemakers, one at each end of the peristaltic pulsating vessel. Separately, each pacemaker causes a series of normal beats followed by a sequence of abnormal ones; together, they provide periodic reversals of blood flow.

The control of heartbeat in most other invertebrates is neurogenic, and one or more nerve ganglia with attendant nerve fibres control contraction. Removal of the ganglia stops the heart, and the administration of acetylcholine increases its rate. Adult heart control may be neurogenic but not necessarily in all stages in the life cycle. The embryonic heart may show myogenic peristaltic contractions prior to innervation.

Heart rate differs markedly among species and under different physiological states of a given individual. In general it is lower in sedentary or sluggish animals and faster in small ones. The rate increases with internal pressure but often reaches a plateau at optimal pressures. Normally, increasing the body temperature 10° C (50° F) causes an increase in heart rate of two to three times. Oxygen availability and the presence of carbon dioxide affectthe heart rate, and during periods of hypoxia the heart rate may decrease to almost a standstill to conserve oxygen stores.

The time it takes for blood to complete a single circulatory cycle is also highly variable but tends to be much longer in invertebrates than in vertebrates. For example, in isolation, the circulation rate in mammals is about 10 to 30 seconds, for crustaceans about one minute, for cockroaches five to six minutes, and for other insects almost 30 minutes.