BRAINCAKEArterioles
Arterioles are small blood vessels that branch off arteries and carry blood into the capillary beds of organs and tissues.
Compared with arteries, the wall of an arteriole has fewer elastic fibres and a much higher proportion of smooth muscle. By the time blood reaches the arterioles, the surges from the heart have largely been smoothed out, so less elastic tissue is needed. The smooth muscle lets arterioles control where blood goes.
Vasoconstriction. When the smooth muscle contracts, the lumen narrows. Less blood flows through that arteriole into the capillaries beyond it.
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More in Circulatory Systems
- Blood Clotting
- The Blood Clotting Cascade
- Blood Vessels
- Arteries
- Capillaries
- Veins and venules
- Tissue Fluid
- Oncotic Pressure
All 33 lessons in Circulatory Systems · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics