Home >> Science & Nature >> Animals & Science

Compare the Lymphatic System to the Circulatory System

Networks of vessels, capillaries and organs move fluids through our bodies to distribute nutrients and filter waste. There are several systems but two of them -- the circulatory and lymphatic systems -- are particularly similar. They share comparable elements -- such as the exercise of fluids through vessels -- but perform different tasks. The lymphatic system removes waste from organs and creates protective lymphocytes that attack bodies that make us sick. The circulatory system moves oxygen-rich blood from the lungs, through the heart and around to all of our organs and tissues.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Blood is composed of plasma, red and white blood cells and platelets.
  
  Notice that the fluids of the systems are similar but are comprised of different materials. The blood of the circulatory system is a mixture of red and white blood cells, platelets and plasma and is responsible for the collection of nutrients and the distribution of these nutrients to the body. Lymph is a waste product of proteins and excess water from tissues and muscle.
- 2
  See how these fluids move through different systems. Blood is pumped by the heart through a closed system of capillaries and vessels while lymph is moved through its open system by smooth muscle movement with no pumping action. You can hear the circulatory system working when you listen to your heartbeat, but you cannot detect the movement of lymph.
- 3
  
  Lymph is filtered and deposited into the bloodstream to attack the antigens in the closed circulatory system.
  
  Compare how the capillaries and vessels make up both the circulatory and the lymphatic systems' roadways. They are distributed throughout all muscle and tissue and are the means of distributing the nutrients and removing the waste. These systems are separate, however, and are composed of tissue. The capillaries and vessels of the lymphatic system comprise a closed system together, but are open to receive the waste of the organs because of their membranes. The circulatory system is closed to maintain the singularity of the tasks of the blood cells.
- 4
  Recognize that separate organs filter and move lymph and blood. The kidneys are responsible for removing waste from the blood while the lymph nodes filter lymph before depositing it into the bloodstream. The heart is the primary organ that moves blood through the system and back and forth from the lungs. The lungs collect oxygen and enrich blood with it so the circulatory system can then enrich the remaining organs and tissues. Lymph is the waste product of organs and is not processed or moved by any but is aided by the lymphocyte production of the spleen.

Animals & Science