An anastomosis is the union of two or more arteries supplying the same body region; collateral circulation is the alternate circulatory route of blood flow to a body part through an anastomosis
Vasodilation and vasoconstriction of arterioles are the main regulators of systemic vascular resistance
Autoregulation: the ability of a tissue to automatically adjust its blood flow to match its metabolic demands
Materials cross capillary walls through intercellular clefts and fenestrations, via transcytosis in pinocytic vesicles, and through the plasma membranes of endothelial cells
Elastic fibres allow the walls of the arteries to stretch easily in response to a small increase in blood pressure; b) smooth muscle allows vasoconstrictions and vasodilation to adjust blood flow.
cardiac muscle in the heart and smooth muscle in blood vessel walls
the femoral artery has the thicker wall; the femoral vein has the wider lumen