Organs and Organ Systems
Circulatory System
Structure and Function
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Structure: Heart, veins, arteries
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Blood: The fluid part is called plasma
and contains water, minerals,
nutrients and other substances
needed for the body.
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Blood also contains white blood
cells, red blood cells, and platelets
(small pieces from cells found in
bone marrow).
-
Function: Pumps blood throughout
the body and transports materials to
and from your cells (i.e. oxygen,
nutrients, etc.).
Heart, Arteries,
and Veins
-
-
Heart: The heart is a muscle and is
responsible for pumping blood to
the lungs so it can be oxygenated
and then pumping this blood to
other parts of the body.
The heart has four chambers
(atriums and ventricles) and valves
that keep the blood from flowing in
and out of the wrong chamber.
-
Arteries: carry oxygenated blood
(“red blood”) away from the heart.
-
Veins: carry deoxygenated blood
(“blue blood”) back to the heart.
Digestive System
Structure and Function
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Structure: Mouth, esophagus,
stomach, liver, pancreas, small
intestine, large intestine, rectum,
and anus
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Function: The digestive system
breaks down food that you eat and
provides your body with the
nutrients and energy it needs from
the food. This system also gets rid of
waste materials or the “leftovers”
from the body.
Esophagus,
Stomach, and Small
Intestine
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Esophagus: a long tube that leads
from your throat to the stomach.
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Stomach: the stomach contracts
(muscles inside of it) to continue to
break down (“mash”) food into a
liquid mixture using enzymes and
acids.
-
Small Intestine: a narrow, but very
long pathway that continues to
break down the liquid mixture while
absorbing (“removing”) vitamins,
minerals, proteins, fats, and
carbohydrates.
Pancreas, Liver,
and Gallbladder
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Pancreas: makes a juice that
enters into the small intestine to
neutralize the acid, which would
damage the intestine. The
pancreas also is important in
making hormones.
-
Liver: makes bile that helps
digest fat, stores nutrients, and
breaks down toxic materials
-
Gallbladder: stores bile made by
the liver
Large Intestine and
Removal of Waste
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Large Intestine: absorbs water
from the remaining digested food
and the begins to compact and
form a solid.
-
Your body then pushes the waste
from the large intestine to the
rectum, where your body stores
the fecal matter until your body is
ready to remove it (by using the
bathroom).
-
Drink lots of water and eat lots of
fiber!! This is a healthy habit that
benefits your digestive system!
Muscular System
Structure and Function
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Structure: There are three types of
muscle (smooth, cardiac, and skeletal
muscle).
-
Function: The muscular system
supports the body and helps with
digestion, movement, and other body
functions.
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Muscles that that move involuntary
are controlled by the nervous system
and are called smooth muscle (i.e.,
digestive system).
-
The heart is a muscle and is made up
up cardiac muscle; this type of muscle
also works involuntarily.
-
Muscles that move voluntarily and
control the movement of your body
are skeletal muscles.
Nervous System
Structure and Function
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Function: sends, receives, and
processes messages/signals
throughout the body.
-
Structure: brain, nerves, and spinal
cord
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There are two parts of the nervous
system: the central nervous system
and the peripheral nervous system.
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The CNS includes the brain and
spinal cord. It processes all signals
and messages.
-
The PNS includes all of the nerves,
which are pathways that send
signals throughout your body.
Peripheral Nervous
System (PNS)
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Neuron (nerve cell): transfers
messages throughout your body by
sending fast electrical impulses.
-
Example: some neurons in your
stomach signal to the brain that your
stomach is full or empty. These are
called sensory neurons.
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Example: some neurons control the
muscles around your eye when
sensory neurons detect bright light.
These neurons that “move” muscles
are motor neurons.
-
Structure: nucleus, cell body, axon,
and dendrite
Brain
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Function: The brain has several
different jobs; it is the control center
of the body and is in charge of
involuntary and voluntary
movements, thoughts, and
behaviors.
-
Structure: The brain has several
different parts (three main parts)
that store memories, detect signals
(i.e., light, taste, colors, heat, etc.),
help the body maintain physical
balance, and control vital functions
of the body (i.e., heart rate,
breathing, etc.).
Spinal Cord
-
Structure and Function: a small
structure protected by the vertebrae
(backbone) that contains neurons
and axons that send signals to and
from the brain.
-
If the spinal cord is injured, it can
result in paralysis. This means that
signals cannot properly pass to and
from the brain.
Respiratory System
Structure and Function
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Structure: nose, pharynx, larynx,
trachea, bronchi (bronchus), lung,
and diaphragm
-
Function: this system makes talking
and breathing possible. This system
is responsible for allowing your body
to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon
dioxide.
Pharynx, Larynx,
and Trachea
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Pharynx: the back of your throat
where water, food, and air passes
through. It then branches into
two tubes: one leading to the
stomach (esophagus) and one
leading to the lungs (trachea).
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Larynx: this is the voice box,
which contains the vocal chords.
As air passes between the vocal
chords, it vibrates and sound is
produced.
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Trachea: this is the windpipe and
air passes through this organ to
get to the lungs.
Bronchi and Lungs
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Bronchi: connects the trachea to
both longs via two tubes.
-
Lungs: are site of respiration,
where the gas exchange occurs,
and is responsible for our
breathing.
-
The lungs contain bronchioles
(branches from the bronchi). At
the end of them are small
clumps of air sacs called alveoli
(the site where the gas
exchange occurs).
Urinary System
Structure and Function
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Structure: Kidney, ureters, bladder,
urethra
-
Function: responsible for removing
wastes from your blood.
-
Your blood functions like the
garbage man. It picks up waste from
cells as it flows through the body.
Blood also drops of nutrients and
materials to cells as it picks up waste
products.
-
As a result, inside of the kidney these
waste products are left behind and
will be excreted from the body.
Kidneys
- Kidney: This organ is
responsible for removing waste
(“cleaning”) from the blood.
- How does it work?
-
-
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Inside of the kidney are cells called
nephrons. These cells act like
filters and remove most of the
water and all of the wastes from
the blood.
The clean blood enters back into
the blood stream and recirculates
the body.
The yellow fluid that remains in
the nephrons is then collected and
transported through the ureters to
the bladder.
- Your body has two kidneys and
you can survive with only one!
Ureters, Bladder,
Urethra
- Ureters: these structures
connect the kidneys to the
bladder and is the pathway
urine takes to the bladder.
- Bladder: this organ stores
the urine until it is excreted
from the body
- Urethra: the path urine
takes as it is being expelled
from the body.