Download Organ Systems and Life

By Owen Lyke
ORGAN SYSTEMS AND LIFE
Organ Systems
Organ systems are groups of organs that perform specific functions in the
body. For example, the respiratory system is made up by the lungs,
respiratory muscles, and airways. Although this PowerPoint will mostly
cover the human organ systems, most animals and plants have simpler
forms of most of these systems.
Multi-cellular organisms are made up of various systems, called organ
systems, which are made up of groups of related organs. Every organ is
made up of specialized tissues which are groups of millions of similar
cells that all have their own organelles inside of them.
 Respiratory:
 Circulatory:
 Nervous:
 Digestive:
 Muscular:
 Skeletal:
 Urinary/Excretory:
Respiratory System
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The respiratory system is the body’s way of getting oxygen to it’s cells.
Oxygen is vital for cells to live, therefore the respiratory system is vital.
The organs that make up the respiratory system include the lungs,
respiratory muscles, and airways that get oxygen to the lungs.
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When an organism’s brain tells it to take a breath the diaphragm
contracts which increases the volume of the chest cavity. This vacuum
draws in air to the lungs. In the lungs gas exchange occurs through the
alveoli. The alveoli are sacks with a wall thickness of one cell, the process
of diffusion carries oxygen into and CO2 out of the capillaries.
Exhalation is normally a passive process because the lungs are elastic
and naturally deflate until they reach equilibrium with atmospheric
pressure.
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Most animals use variations this system, but fish have gills, which take
oxygen from water, and insects typically breathe through openings
called spiracles. In plants, the chemical equation for photosynthesis,
which takes in CO2 and releases oxygen, is the opposite of human
respiration. Plants take in CO2 through stoma on the underside of
leaves.
Circulatory System
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The circulatory system is the organ system that supplies essential nutrients
to the cells of the body. The circulatory system not only includes the
cardiovascular system, which transports blood, but also the lymphatic
system which distributes lymph. Lymph is the interstitial fluid that
surrounds all of the cells in our body. It picks up bacteria and takes it to a
lymph node to be destroyed.
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The cardiovascular system is a closed system, meaning no blood is lost.
(Unless it is opened by a cut or wound.) The cardiovascular system is made
up of two parts, the pulmonary circulation, which oxygenates blood with the
respiratory system, and the systemic circulation, which pumps oxygenated
blood to the rest of the body. Because we have two loops, our heart is made
up of two pumps. (Four chambers.)
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Other organisms may vary slightly, for example, a fish only has one loop,
going to the gills and back, so it only has a one pump heart. Amphibians
have tri-chambered hearts.
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In plants, the circulatory system is made up of two kinds of tissue, xylem and
phloem. Xylem transports H2O and dissolved minerals while phloem
transports food produced by the plant.
Nervous System
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The nervous system of all organisms is the system that the body uses to
communicate between itself. It creates and transmits signals to other parts
of the body to tell the organism what to do. It also gives the brain feedback
such as pain or other signals. The nervous system is made up of two main
parts, the central nervous system, and the peripheral nervous system. All of
the nervous system is a network made up of nerves, neurons, and pathways
that connect them. The central nervous system is comprised of the brain,
spinal cord, and the retina. The peripheral nervous system is the network of
sensory neurons, neuron clusters, and the pathways connecting them to
each other and the brain. The nervous system contains two kinds of cells,
neurons and glial cells. The neurons are the cells that actually perform the
duties of the nervous system and the glial cells support the life of neurons.
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Even in one species, many types of neurons exist and they all perform
specific jobs such as sensory input and motor control. Neurons can be
classified by the direction that they send information. A neuron has two
main structural differences from other body cells. These are the dendrites
and the axon. The dendrites receive information from other neurons and the
axon sends information electrochemically to more neurons. When an
electrical signal reaches the end of a neuron, it releases chemicals which
cross a synapse to be picked up by another neuron’s dendrites.
Digestive System
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The digestive system’s job is to provide energy for the body. When we eat food, it is not in a form
that our cells can use. A cell cannot take in a piece of lettuce, it can only use smaller pieces that
make up the lettuce. The digestive system is the system that our body uses to break lettuce into
the smaller pieces that make it up. (Not just lettuce though.) The circulatory system then
distributes these essential fuels to the cells.
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The digestive system can be divided into two parts, a series of hollow organs called the digestive
tract, and all of the other organs that support the digestion of food like the liver, gallbladder,
appendix, and pancreas. The digestive tract starts at the mouth, which is followed by the
esophagus and the stomach. After the stomach is the small intestine which is followed by the
colon. Lastly are the rectum and anus.
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The mouth and teeth break up food in preliminary digestion.
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The esophagus transports food to the stomach.
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The stomach digests food with acids and enzymes.
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Nutrients are transferred to the circulatory system in the little intestine.
 The tissue of the little intestine is made up of folds called pilacae circulares which are covered
in villi, which absorb nutrients through diffusion. These nutrients are then distributed through
the body.
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Unwanted or indigestible materials are stored in the colon and released through the rectum.
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Glands in the stomach lining produce stomach acid and enzymes to break down food. The liver
produces bile (which breaks down fat), which is stored in the gallbladder until it is needed for
digesting food, when it is injected to the small intestine through the bile ducts.
Muscular System
 The muscular system primarily controls the movement of an
organism. It is also involved with the circulatory system because
the heart is made up of cardiac muscles that pump blood around
the body.
 The muscular system doesn’t only make it so that you can walk
around, it facilitates many other bodily functions. Muscles make
your heart beat, move your eyes, and help your lungs. Without
muscles you couldn’t pick anything up because you fingers
wouldn’t have the power or strength to hold anything.
 Muscle contraction is controlled by the action potential of the
muscle cell’s plasma membrane. The action potential is
controlled by voltage-gated sodium or voltage-gated calcium
channels embedded in the plasma membrane.
 There are three kinds of muscle tissue, skeletal, cardiac, and
smooth muscle tissues. Skeletal muscles are typically consciously
controlled by the central nervous system, whereas cardiac and
smooth muscles are controlled subconsciously by the autonomic
nervous system.
Skeletal System
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The skeletal system protects organs, gives an organism structure, and
works with the muscular system to facilitate movement. The skeletal
system also works with the circulatory system to produce more blood
cells. The skeleton can be divided into two parts.
Some bones protect delicate and or vital organs. For example, the skull
protects the brain and the ribcage protects the lungs and heart.
Other bones give structure. Without a spine it would be impossible for us
to walk upright.
Bones that help organisms to move around act as anchor points for
muscles. When a muscle contracts it pulls a bone around a joint. Joint
types are fibrous (immovable) cartilaginous (semi-moveable), and
synovial (free-moving) joints. Synovial joints include hinge, ball and
socket, pivot, saddle, condyloid, and gliding joints.
Many bones are hollow, which makes them light and strong. Hollow
bones are filled with bone marrow. Marrow produces red and white
blood cells to replenish the blood.
The skeleton can be divided into the axial and appendicular skeletons.
The axial skeleton is made up of the skull, thoracic cage, and vertebral
column. The appendicular skeleton includes the pectoral girdles, upper
limbs, the pelvic girdle, and the lower limbs.
Urinary/Excretory System
 The urinary/excretory system is used by an organism to get
rid of unwanted or harmful metabolism byproducts. As
proteins are broken down, they release nitrogen, most of
which cannot be used by the body. This extra nitrogen
combines with other molecules to form ammonia and must
be removed from the body.
 Ammonia is easily dissolved in water, so fish can release it
through diffusion into the water.
 Humans don’t need to conserve that much water so we
convert ammonia to urea which is dissolved into a water
solution and excreted. We also create small amounts of uric
acid but excess amounts cause health problems like gout.
 Animals that need to conserve water like organisms living
in arid environments convert ammonia to uric acid, which
isn’t water soluble so it can be easily excreted without
water. This is the white part of bird droppings.
Plant Organs
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Plants are much simpler than animals and only require a few organs to
survive. The organs can be divided into reproductive and vegetative.
Flower: The flower is the reproductive organ of plants. It may contain
the stamen and or the carpel. The stamen contains the pollen, which is
brought to the carpel by insects. The carpel contains the ovaries. The
receptor of pollen is called the stigma.
Stem: The stem raises the leaves and flower, and is used to store and
move nutrients. The stem is made up of nodes and internodes. The
nodes grow out into flowers, cones, and other stems. Internodes create
the distance between nodes. The stem is also used to transport minerals
and water from the root to the flower and the leaves.
Leaves: Leaves are specialized above-ground organs that facilitate
photosynthesis in plants. Leaves are flat to expose more chloroplasts to
sunlight to create energy for the plant.
Root: The root is typically an underground structure that is used to
absorb nutrients like vitamins and minerals from the ground. Roots
don’t always appear underground and it is more appropriate to define
them as the part of the plant that bears no leaves and has no nodes.
Kinds of Organisms
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Animals
 Animal’s cells are eukaryotic, meaning the nucleus and other organelles are bound
by a membrane. Animals have a nervous system and a muscular systems to
facilitate movement.
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Invertebrates
 Invertebrates don’t have a backbone. This class covers about 95% of all animals.
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Vertebrates
 Vertebrate animals have a backbone composed of vertebrae, that supports the
creature.
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Plants
 Plants do not have a nervous system and they gain their energy through the process
of photosynthesis.
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Fungi
 Organisms of fungal lineage include mushrooms, rusts, puffballs, smuts, truffles,
molds, and yeast.
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Bacteria
 Bacteria don’t have membrane bound organelles and don’t have a mitochondria or
chloroplast. Bacteria are one cell and only have one chromosome.
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Protists
 Protists are either unicellular or multi-cellular without specialized tissues. They are
eukaryotic.
Bibliography
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Sources:
http://biology.about.com/od/organsystems/a/aa031706a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_classification
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cavalier-Smith#Cavalier-Smith.27s_six_kingdom_models
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_system#Gas_exchange
http://hubpages.com/hub/Circulatory-System-plants-and-animals
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cells.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervous_system
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscular_system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential
http://www.scienceaid.co.uk/biology/humans/lungs.html
http://anatowiki.wetpaint.com/page/Skeletal+System+Introduction
http://www.teachpe.com/anatomy/joints.php
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Courses/bio105/kidney.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_stem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root