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Human Body Systems Mega Chart
Body system
Parts
What they do
What other systems they
interact
Integumentary
Oil glands
Produce sebum to make the skin waterproof and
resistant to invasion by bacteria
Immune
Sweat glands
Produce sweat to cool body and maintain
homeostasis; nitrogen waste is in the sweat
Excretory
Hairs & hair follicles
Follicles contain the hair; hair raises up to catch a
layer of warm air to warm the body
Sensory nerves
Receive information from the external environment
& pass it to the brain
Nervous
Musculatory
Smooth muscle
Circulatory, digestive, nervous,
excretory, respiratory, &
reproductive
Remember,
muscles can’t
push, they can
only pull.
Striated muscle
Spindle shaped; lines all the “tubes” of the body to
regulate the passage of liquids & solids through the
body & light into the eye
Found in arteries, digestive tract, air tubes, urinary
tract, & reproductive structures
Striped, moves muscles, usually voluntary, though
diaphragm also moves involuntarily
Cardiac muscle
Striped & branched; muscle tissue of the heart, only
Circulatory
Tendons
Heavy fibers that tie muscles to bones so muscles
can move bones
Skeletal
Compact bone
Heavy layers of bone that cover spongy bone &
make up the middle of the long bones; give strength
to the bone; contains yellow marrow
Channels through compact bone that carry blood
vessels & nerves to feed, clean, and give sensation to
bones & bone cells
Lies at ends of long bones & in cuboidal & flat
bones, covered by compact bone; contains the red
marrow
Produces red & white blood cells & platelets
Musculatory
Skeletal
Haversian canals
Spongy bone
Red marrow
Yellow marrow
Nutrient rich fat found in the core of the long bones;
storage
Epiphyses
Ends of long bones where the bond grows
Ligaments
Heavy fibers that tie bones to bones
Joints- ball & socket
Hip & shoulder; knob of one bone fits into a socket
made by other bones &/or muscles
- pivot
Head on top of spine; allows head to swivel to give
animal greater field of view
- hinge
Elbow, knee, finger joints; allows two bones to
move against each other
-gliding
Vertebrae in spine; gives great flexibility to the
spine
- saddle
Thumb; allows greater range of motion with the
thumb
Skeletal & Respiratory
Nervous & Circulatory
Circulatory & Immune
Circulatory & Immune
2
Respiratory
Digestive
Excretory
Nose
Takes in, filters & warms air
Pharynx
Throat, passes air to larynx
Larynx
Voice box, protected from food by the epiglottis,
passes air to trachea
Trachea
“Wind pipe,” passes air to bronchi
Bronchi
Trachea splits into two tubes going to the two lungs;
bronchi pass air to bronchioles
Bronchioles
Smaller tubes that will branch & branch again until
they carry air to the alveoli
Alveoli
Millions of little air bags where CO2 & O2 are
exchanged.
Mouth
Takes in food & begins breaking it down by
chewing & with saliva
Pharynx
Throat- carries food to esophagus
Esophagus
Long muscular tube down through neck & chest to
stomach
Stomach
Muscular bag that squishes & grinds food while
adding digestive acids & enzymes
Small intestine
Absorbs fats, proteins, and other nutrients
Large intestine
Absorbs water
Liver
Makes some of the digestive chemicals including
bile- for digesting protein; also cleans the blood of
toxins
Pancreas
Makes insulin & glucagon to control the levels of
sugar in the blood
Renal arteries & veins
Carry “dirty” blood to the kidneys and clean, filtered
blood away
Kidney
Principal organ for removing nitrogen waste from
the blood
Nephron- makes urine
Thousands of these tubular filtering systems are
found in the kidney to filter the blood & remove
waste, excess salt, & excess water from bloodfunctional unit of the kidney
Ureter
Drains the kidney into the bladder
Urinary bladder
Stores the urine
Urethra
Drains the bladder to the outside
Immune- barrier defense
Respiratory
Digestive & circulatory
circulatory
3
Reproductive
Ovaries
Produce eggs & hormones to maintain a pregnancy
or bring on the menses
Fallopian tube
Carries released egg from the body cavity to the
uterus; fertilization occurs here
Uterus
Muscular organ where the embryo may implant
itself & grow to maturity; contractions of the uterus
cause birth
Neck of the uterus; stays closed during pregnancy,
but thins out to permit birth
Cervix
Nervous
Vagina
Birth canal- stretches to allow baby to be born; also
receives sperm
Testes
Male gonad- produces hormones & sperm
Brain
Runs the body; made up of white matter & grey
matter & 3 kinds of nerves, covered by three
membranes
Runs down the vertebral column through openings
in each vertebrae, carries nerve tracts for both
incoming & out going nerves
Receive info from internal & external environment
& carry it to the spinal cord & brain
Spinal cord
Sensory nerves
Motor nerves
Receive commands from the brain & run to a muscle
or gland to activate it to do the command
Interneurons
In spinal cord & brain; connect incoming to
outgoing nerves so the signal may pass in as many
directions as needed
Nerve cells consisting of cell bodies, incoming
dendrite fibers, & an outgoing axon fiber
Neurons
Circulatory
Heart
Pumps blood
Atria
Receives blood from body or lungs & pumps it to a
ventricle;
Humans have 2 of them
Ventricle receives blood from atria and pumps it to
the heart or lungs; humans have 2 of them
Ventricles
Arteries
Carry blood away from heart to lungs or body parts
(organs, muscles, etc.), largest is the aorta
Arterioles
Smaller, blood vessels carry blood to capillaries
Capillaries
Tiny blood vessels with walls one cell thick that feed
& clean cells
Venules
Blood vessels that drain capillary beds into larger &
larger veins going back to heart
Veins
Drain blood from body or lungs into heart, largest
veins are the Vena Cavae
Endocrine
Endocrine
4
Immune
Barrier defenses
B cells
T cells
Make antiviral compounds like cytokinins &
interferons; attack cancers
Spleen
Stores “extra” blood &
Lymph nodes
Stores B-cells & T-cells, especially B-memory cells.
Pathogens are brought to it so that B&T cells can
start the attack!
Lymph nodes that surround the throat; there are 3
kinds
Tonsils
Endocrine
Lining of alimentary canal & respiratory,
reproductive & excretory systems; Skin; tears &
conjunctiva of the eye
Make antibodies to attack & kill bacteria, remember
virus & bacteria; give immunity
Hypothalamus
Pituitary
Thyroid
“Master gland” controls other glands, also triggers
gonads to start puberty, regulates growth, birth, and
many other processes
Is controlled by hypothalamus, sends chemical
messages to other glands & triggers gonads to start
puberty, regulates growth, birth, and many other
processes
Stimulates & controls metabolism
Raises blood calcium levels
Parathyroid
Lowers blood calcium levels
Adrenal
Produces epinephrine& norepinephrine to manage
emergency responses
Ovary
Controls female secondary sex characteristics and
reproduction; produces eggs, helps maintain
pregnancy or start menses
Controls male secondary sex characteristics and
reproduction; produces sperm
Testes
Pineal
Controls biorhythms
Thymus
Functions in immune response- helps children
develop immunity
Pancreas
Insulin & glucagon to control blood sugar levels
Respiratory, digestive,
reproductive, & excretory
systems