What is the system of circulation that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart throughout the body?

The correct answer, systemic circulation, refers to the pathway through which oxygen-rich blood is distributed from the heart to the rest of the body. After blood is oxygenated in the lungs, it returns to the heart, specifically to the left atrium and then moves into the left ventricle. From the left ventricle, the oxygenated blood is pumped into the aorta, the body's main artery, and then travels through various arteries, reaching all the body's tissues and organs.

This extensive network ensures that every cell in the body receives the oxygen and nutrients it requires for proper functioning. Once the cells utilize the oxygen, the blood returns to the heart, carrying carbon dioxide and other waste products, thus completing the cycle of systemic circulation.

Other types of circulation, such as pulmonary circulation, focus specifically on the flow of blood between the heart and the lungs for oxygenation, while coronary circulation pertains to the flow of blood to and from the tissues of the heart itself. Venous circulation involves the return of deoxygenated blood back to the heart. These systems support overall circulation but do not cover the broad delivery of oxygen-rich blood throughout the entire body, as systemic circulation does.