The key difference between atria and ventricles is their function. Atria receive blood from body parts and lungs and pass the blood to ventricles, which then pump the blood received from atria to the body parts, including the lungs.
The human circulatory system has a four-chambered heart with two separate atria and two separate ventricles. The main function of the heart is to pump blood to all the body parts through the blood veins. The human heart maintains two types of circulation cycles: pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation. According to these circulations, the left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs, and the left ventricle pumps it to the rest of the body while the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body and the right ventricle pumps the blood to the lungs. During these circulations, both atria simultaneously contract, pumping their blood into the ventricles. Then, ventricles also contract simultaneously, pushing blood into the pulmonary and systemic circulation. Because of these simultaneous contractions, the human heart is known as a two-cycled pump.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Atria
3. What are Ventricles
4. Atria vs Ventricles in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Atria vs Ventricles
What are Atria
The human heart consists of two atria, which make up the upper portion of the heart. In general, atria receive blood and pass it to two ventricles by simultaneous contractions. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs through pulmonary veins and pumps into the left ventricle via the bicuspid valve. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body through the superior and inferior vena cava and pumps into the left ventricle via the tricuspid valve. In the human heart, the left ventricle is quite smaller than the right atrium.
What are Ventricles
There are two ventricles found in the human heart: the left ventricle and the right ventricle. Both ventricles are situated below the atria, and they make up the lower portion of the heart. The left ventricle is quite smaller than the right ventricle. The left ventricle receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium and pumps the blood to the body via the aorta. The right ventricle receives deoxygenated blood from the right atria and pumps the blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery via a pulmonary semilunar valve. Unlike the right atrium, the left atrium is lined by a thick wall, which helps to get a large force in order to distribute the blood to all the body parts.
What is the Difference Between Atria and Ventricles?
Atria are situated at the top of the heart, whereas ventricles are at the bottom. Moreover, atria are quite smaller than ventricles. Atria receive blood from body parts and lungs and pass the blood to ventricles. Ventricles then pump the blood received from the atria to the body parts, including the lungs. This is the key difference between atria and ventricles.
Atria and ventricles are separated by tricuspid and bicuspid valves in the heart. Ventricles are lined up with thicker walls than atria. Unlike in the atrial walls, Purkinje fibers (bundle of His) are found in the ventricle walls. Furthermore, the superior and inferior vena cava and pulmonary vein open into the atria, while the aorta and pulmonary artery open into the ventricles.
The following table summarizes the difference between atria and ventricles.
Summary – Atria vs Ventricles
The key difference between atria and ventricles is their function. Atria receive blood from body parts and lungs and pass the blood to ventricles, which then pump the blood received from atria to the body parts, including the lungs.. In addition, atria are quite smaller than ventricles.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Diagram of the human heart (cropped)” By Wapcaplet – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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