A&P Cardiovascular System Practice Test

Arterioles are the small branches of arteries that deliver blood to the capillary beds. They sit between larger arteries and the capillaries, and their muscular walls can constrict or dilate to regulate how much blood enters the capillaries and at what pressure. This control is essential for directing flow to tissues as needed. Arteries are larger conduits that carry blood away from the heart, capillaries are the tiny vessels where exchange occurs, and veins return blood to the heart. So the vessel that takes blood into capillaries is the arteriole.