Helpful Human Body Information
Question: Explain what the digestive system and the respiratory system have to do with cellular
respiration that takes place in the mitochondria.
The digestive system and the respiratory system provide the cells in our bodies with glucose and
oxygen so that cellular respiration can take place. The digestive system breaks the food that we eat
down into molecules of glucose which diffuse into the capillaries. The respiratory system takes in
oxygen and it diffuses into the capillaries. The blood carries the oxygen and glucose to the cells where
the mitochondria use the oxygen and glucose to produce carbon dioxide, water and energy. The raw
materials needed for cellular respiration, oxygen and glucose, are provided by the digestive system and
the respiratory system.
How Body Systems Work Together
1. The integumentary system works with all systems by providing skin, hair, and nails to cover and
protect them. The skin also works with the excretory system because the sweat glands in the
skin help get rid of waste materials.
2. The muscular system works with the cardiovascular/circulatory system. The heart is a muscle
that pumps blood through the body. The muscular system also works with the lymphatic system
by squeezing the lymph vessels to force the lymph to move through the lymph vessels.
3.
The skeletal system and the muscular system work together so that we can move. The skeletal
system also provides protection for the lungs and heart so that the respiratory and circulatory
systems can work. The lymphatic system needs the skeletal system also because the bone
marrow produces white blood cells including lymphocytes to help fight pathogens…bacteria etc.
4.
The cardiovascular system works with the respiratory system to deliver oxygen to all cells. It
also works with the digestive system to deliver glucose to the mitochondria in cells so that
energy can be produced. ***The heart pumps the blood which carries the oxygen and glucose
to cells and carries wastes from the cells.
5. The respiratory system works with the cardiovascular/circulatory system (blood) to get oxygen
to cells and to bring carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs to be exhaled. When you
breathe in oxygen, it doesn’t just stop at your lungs. It diffuses into the smallest blood vessels,
the capillaries, and is taken by the blood to each cell.
6. The urinary system is important to the circulatory system because the kidneys filter the blood
and remove wastes from the blood. The blood flows through the nephrons which filter the
wastes. The wastes, urine, is stored in the bladder for elimination.
7. The nervous system keeps ALL systems working. It keeps our hearts beating, our food digesting,
our lungs breathing, our kidneys filtering, our muscles moving, etc.
8. The digestive system depends on the cardiovascular/circulatory system (blood) to deliver the
glucose molecules from food we eat to cells to be used to make energy.
9. The lymphatic system works with the cardiovascular/circulatory system to collect fluid that leaks
out of the blood vessels. The lymphatic system needs the muscular system to squeeze the
lymph (fluid) through the vessels. The lymph system works with the immune system to help
fight infections. Without the skeletal system, the lymph system would not have the
lymphocytes to fight infections.
10. The endocrine system needs the cardiovascular/circulatory system (blood) to carry the
hormones or chemicals produced by the glands to where they need to go.
See next page for the excretory system.
11. Organs of the Excretory System
Organ(s)
Function
Other Organ System of
which it is Part
Lungs
Remove carbon dioxide
Respiratory system
Skin
Large
intestine
Kidneys
Sweat glands remove water, salts, and other
wastes
Removes solid waste and some water
Remove urea, salts, and excess water from
the blood. The waste is urine.
Integumentary system
Digestive system
Urinary system
Functions of the Excretory System
The excretory system controls the levels of water and salts in your body by removing wastes.
This means the excretory system has an important role in maintaining homeostasis. Your body
takes nutrients from food and uses them for energy, growth, and repair. After your body has
taken what it needs from the food, waste products are left behind in the blood and in the large
intestine. These waste products need to be removed from the body. The kidneys work with
the lungs, skin, and intestines to keep the correct balance of nutrients, salts and water
in your body
The liver also has a role in the excretory system.
When we eat fatty foods, the liver orders the gall bladder to release bile into the intestines. The
bile then puts the waste products into the intestines. Then the intestines absorb the fats into the
blood stream. The liver is then given the blood, and removes all waste products from it as it
passes through. The liver removes the iron, which involves red blood cell production. Amino
acids are then broken down and passed into the kidney. The kidney uses these to carry out their
function in the excretory system. The liver then stores the vitamins, and repeats its cycle.