BRAINCAKEReturn of Tissue Fluid to Blood
The loss of tissue fluid from the capillaries reduces the hydrostatic pressure inside them. When blood reaches the venous end it’s hydrostatic pressure is lower than the tissue fluid outside it. Therefore tissue fluid is forced back into the capillaries by the higher hydrostatic pressure outside them. Water enters the capillaries from the tissue via osmosis as it has a lower water potential than the tissue fluid.
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Key terms in this lesson
- osmosis
- The net movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential to a region of lower water potential through a selectively permeable membrane.
- water potential
- A measure of the tendency of water molecules to move out of a solution; pure water has a water potential of zero and adding solute lowers it.
- tissue fluid
- The watery liquid, derived from blood plasma, that bathes the cells of the body and supplies them with nutrients and oxygen.
- hydrostatic pressure
- The pressure exerted by a fluid, such as blood, that forces fluid out of the capillaries to form tissue fluid.
More in Transport in Animals
- Arterioles
- Veins and Venules
- Capillaries
- Tissue Fluid
- Chloride Shift
- Human Heart
- Structure and Function of the Heart
- Cardiac Cycle
All 22 lessons in Transport in Animals · All OCR AS-level Biology topics