Question

For each of the following structures, first indicate its function in the fetus; then, note its fate (what happens to it or what it is converted to after birth).
a. Umbilical artery
b. Umbilical vein
c. Ductus venosus
d. Ductus arterious
e. Foramen ovale

Answer 1

Answer:

1. Functions:

a. Umbilical artery >> carries deoxygenated blood from the fetus to the placenta

b. Umbilical vein >> transports oxygenated blood from the placenta to the fetus

c. Ductus venosus >> allows oxygenated blood from the placenta to bypass the liver

d. Ductus arterious >> allows most of the blood from the right ventricle to bypass the fetus's non-functioning lungs

e. Foramen ovale >> oxygenated blood from the umbilical vein to bypass the pulmonary circulation

2. After the bird:

1. Umbilical artery >> medial umbilical ligament

2. Umbilical vein >> round ligament of the liver

3. Ductus venosus  >> ligamentum venosum

4. Ductus arteriosus >> ligamentum arteriosum

5. Foramen ovale >> fossa ovalis

Explanation:

The umbilical artery is a paired artery localized in the abdominal and pelvic regions, which carries deoxygenated blood from the fetus to the placenta through the umbilical cord. The medial umbilical ligament is the obliterated part of the umbilical artery that arises from the internal iliac arteries. In utero, the umbilical arteries carry waste products back to the placenta, whereas the umbilical vein carries oxygenated blood from the placenta to the fetus. The round ligament of the liver (also known as ligamentum teres hepatis) is a remnant of the umbilical vein that  exists in the embryonic stage, it connects the left lobe of the liver to the umbilicus. The ductus venosus is a slender shunt that allows oxygenated blood from the placenta to bypass the liver, it connects the intra-hepatic portion of the umbilical vein to the inferior vena cava. The ligamentum venosum is an extrahepatic, slender, and fibrous remnant of the fetal ductus venosus that travels between the left portal vein and the inferior vena cava. The ductus arteriosus is a fetal artery that connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery. The ligamentum arteriosum is a nonfunctional vestige of the ductus arteriosus, it is attached to the superior surface of the pulmonary trunk. The foramen ovale is an oval-shaped, small, opening in the wall (septum) between the two upper chambers of the heart. The fossa ovalis is a vestige stricture of the foramen ovale of the embryonic heart, which forms a depression in the right atrium of the heart.