AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The pulmonary artery is a big artery that comes from the heart. It splits into two main branches, and brings blood from the heart to the lungs. At the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and drops off carbon dioxide. The blood then returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins.

Detailed explanation-2: -A crucial difference is that your pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) blood, while your aorta carries oxygen-rich (oxygenated) blood. In fact, your pulmonary arteries are the only arteries in your body that carry oxygen-poor blood.

Detailed explanation-3: -Pulmonary artery is the only artery that carries carbon dioxide rich blood to lungs for re-oxygenation. Since pulmonary artery carries blood away from the heart, it is called artery and not a vein.

Detailed explanation-4: -The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle into the lungs, where oxygen enters the bloodstream. The pulmonary veins bring oxygen-rich blood to the left atrium. The aorta carries oxygen-rich blood to the body from the left ventricle.

Detailed explanation-5: -De-oxygenated blood from the body’s somatic cells travels to the right atrium, then into the right ventricle, and through the main pulmonary artery and its branches before blood enters the lungs for oxygenation and gas exchange.