Final answer:
Increased blood flow to the skin decreases blood flow to the working muscles as the body prioritizes thermoregulation, leading to less blood availability for other areas like the muscles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Increased blood flow to the skin generally results in a decrease in blood flow to the working muscles. When the body directs more blood to the skin, often for thermoregulation purposes like dissipating heat, there is less blood available for the muscles. This occurs because the cardiovascular system is a closed circuit; an increase in blood flow to one area necessitates a decrease elsewhere unless cardiac output increases significantly. Therefore, the answer is b) Decreases blood flow to the working muscle.
During exercise, selective vasodilation occurs in skeletal muscles, heart, lungs, liver, and skin, while vasoconstriction occurs in the vessels leading to less active organs such as the kidneys and most digestive and reproductive organs. Venoconstriction, on the other hand, results in increased blood pressure within the vein, blood flow within the vein, and return of blood to the heart.