Biological Sciences
Organ Systems
Organ systems are groups of organs that work together to perform specific functions in the body. Examples of organ systems include the digestive system, respiratory system, and circulatory system. Each system is made up of multiple organs that collaborate to carry out essential processes, such as nutrient absorption, gas exchange, and blood circulation.
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5 Key excerpts on "Organ Systems"
eBook - PDF- J. H. U. Brown, Donald S. Gann(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
Part I THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE THE HUMAN BODY is a system. It can be pictured as a black box with energy inputs, controlling circuits, and an output. Too often physiology is discussed in terms of .swèsystems: the renal system, the cardiovascular system, etc. Al-though we are forced by convention and by the complexity of the system as a whole to talk in similar terms in later chapters, it seems wise to begin a book of engineering principles in physiology by looking at the whole system. We begin by looking at the systems concept in biology and its application to developing a theoretical base for understanding biological principles. It is also essential to understand the application of general information theory to biology, since so much of physiological stimulus and response is a function of the communication system and statistical information theory. Finally, dis-cussion of the system would not be complete without an example in the living organism. The quality of life or the absence of it may be a way of looking at the function of the system as a whole. Systems Biology as a Concept* F. EUGENE Y AT ES Department of Biomedicai Engineering University of Southern California Los Angeles, California I. INTRODUCTION A living system is an arrangement of matter that yields an ensemble of properties which, taken as a whole, characterize the system as living. Table I presents a view of the relationships among major subdivisions of biology. The science of physiology generally concerns the understanding of function in complete living individual organisms of all kinds. It embraces studies of all the levels of organization from molecular to individual man, and it is equally dependent on both analysis and synthesis. Π. SYSTEMS PHYSIOLOGY A. Definitions The central concept of this branch of physiology is that an arrangement of biological components, coupled, connected, and interacting, has properties beyond the sum of those to be found in the components individually.
eBook - PDF- Gerard J. Tortora, Bryan H. Derrickson(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
In the chapters that follow, we will explore the anatomy and physiology of each of the body systems. Table 1.1 introduces the components and functions of these systems. As you study the body systems, you will discover how they work together to maintain health, protect you from disease, and allow for reproduction of the species. The organismal level is the largest level of organization. All of the systems of the body combine to make up an organism (OR-ga-nizm), that is, one human being. Systems join together to form an organism similar to the way chapters are put together to form a book. Checkpoint 1. What is the basic difference between anatomy and physiology? 2. Give your own example of how the structure of a part of the body is related to its function. 3. Define the following terms: atom, molecule, cell, tissue, organ, system, and organism. 4. Referring to Table 1.1, which body systems help eliminate wastes? 5 6 human body. Among the many types of cells in your body are muscle cells, nerve cells, and blood cells. Figure 1.1 shows a smooth muscle cell, one of three different kinds of muscle cells in your body. As you will see in Chapter 3, cells contain specialized structures called organelles, such as the nucleus, mitochondria, and lysosomes, that perform specific functions. The tissue level is the next level of structural organization. Tissues are groups of cells and the materials surrounding them that work together to perform a particular function. Cells join together to form tissues similar to the way words are put together to form sentences. The four basic types of tissue in your body are epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscular tissue, and nervous tissue. The similarities and differences among the different types of tissues are the focus of Chapter 4. Note in Figure 1.1 that smooth muscle tissue consists of tightly packed smooth muscle cells. At the organ level, different kinds of tissues join together to form body structures.
- Andrew Kuntzman, Gerard J. Tortora(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
We see similar patterns of organization throughout most of the body. ● 5 The next level of structural organization in the body is the system level. A system consists of related organs that have a common function (like chapters in a book). The example shown in Figure 1.1 is the digestive system, which breaks down and absorbs molecules in food. In the chapters that follow, we will explore the anatomy and physiology of each of the body systems. Table 1.1 starting on page 4 introduces the components and functions of these systems. As you study the body systems, you will discover how they work to- gether to maintain health, protect you from disease, and allow for reproduction of the species. 2 CHAPTER 1 • ORGANIZATION OF THE HUMAN BODY 6 3 4 5 1 CHEMICAL LEVEL Atoms (C, H, O, N, P) 2 CELLULAR LEVEL Molecule (DNA) Smooth muscle cell Smooth muscle tissue ORGANISMAL LEVEL SYSTEM LEVEL Esophagus Liver Stomach Pancreas Gallbladder Small intestine Large intestine Digestive system Stomach Epithelial tissue Serous membrane ORGAN LEVEL TISSUE LEVEL Smooth muscle tissue layers Pharynx ● 6 The organismal level is the largest level of organization. All the systems of the body combine to make up an organism (OR-ga-nizm), that is, one human being. An organism can be compared to a book in our analogy. C H E C K P O I N T 3. Define the following terms: atom, molecule, cell, tissue, organ, system, and organism. 4. Referring to Table 1.1, which body systems help eliminate wastes? 1.2 LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION AND BODY SYSTEMS 3 Figure 1.1 Levels of structural organization in the human body. The levels of structural organization are chemical, cellular, tissue, organ, system, and organismal. Which level of structural organization usually has a recognizable shape and is composed of two or more different types of tissues that have a specific function? ?
No longer available |Learn more- Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr, , Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
Male: Produces sperm and trans-fers them to a female. 0 Urinary System Maintains volume and composition of blood; excretes excess fluid and wastes. Take-Home Message 19.4 What are the roles of organs and Organ Systems? • The cells and tissues of an organ are organized to collectively carry out one or more essential tasks. For example, the skin—an organ with all four tissue types—protects the body, helps make vitamin D, detects events in the outside environment, and helps maintain body temperature. • Organ Systems are composed of interacting organs. All vertebrates have the same types of Organ Systems. • Survival and reproduction depend on interactions among all Organ Systems. Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. 384 UNIT 5 HOW ANIMALS WORK 19.5 Regulating Body Temperature REMEMBER: Homeostasis is one of the defining features of life (Section 1.3). Endotherms can adjust their production of metabolic heat to maintain a stable body temperature (15.6). Homeostasis, again, is the process of keeping conditions in a body within the range that the body’s cells can tolerate. In vertebrates, it involves interactions among sen-sory receptors, the brain, and muscles and glands (Figure 19.13). A sensory recep-tor is a cell or cell component that detects a specific stimulus. Sensory receptors involved in homeostasis function like internal watchmen that monitor the body for change. Information from sensory receptors throughout the body flows to the brain.
eBook - PDFMathematical Nature Of The Living World, The: The Power Of Integration
The Power of Integration
- Gilbert A Chauvet(Author)
- 2004(Publication Date)
- World Scientific(Publisher)
In this sense, the structure will not be identified with the relational structure of the system but will coincide with the histology and the anatomy of the system such that the structural hierarchy corresponds to the hierarchy of the material system observed. We have already considered two essential characteristics of biological systems, i.e. the com-plexity of the functional interactions, illustrated by the typical examples of acid-base and hydroelectrolytic homeostasis (Chapter II); and the distinction between the functional and structural hierarchies of a living organism (Chapter III). The understanding of the inter-relationships between these hierar-chical systems and the complex integration of the physiologi-cal functions of the body calls for a coherent representation of a living organism. Thus, our main objective will consist in con-structing an “operational”, mathematical definition of a gener-alized physiological function. Structural and Functional Organizations of Living Organisms 123 The importance of stability in biological phenomena The problem biologists would like to tackle is that of the integration of physiological functions in living organisms. But as we have seen, in spite of the powerful methods of calcula-tion now available, the quantitative, analytical approach has failed to produce satisfactory results. An interesting possibility seems to lie in the use of a qualitative approach in the identi-fication of the general principles underlying biological sys-tems. These principles may be expected to reveal a functional order that could then be further investigated quantitatively. Thus, within the framework of an appropriate theory, i.e. with a suitable mathematical representation, we should be able to study the stability of biological systems. Let us recall that from a mathematical point of view, the stability of a system merely expresses the fact that the system tends to return to its equilibrium position after it has been “slightly” displaced.
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