Organ Systems

Picture a Monday Morning. You get up, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, and likely head to school for a full day’s activities. You do this all almost automatically without thinking about it, and that is thanks to the many organ systems of your body! For example, your nervous system controls the activities of your entire body like a king and his followers. You would not be able to talk, eat, breathe, run, or even live without it.  

It contains special cells called neurons which communicate with each-other in the brain. These special cells individually cannot make you think or breathe, but when acting together form larger structures called tissues. When multiple tissues communicate with one another they form an even larger structure, an organ, or in this case your brain! This is what ultimately makes multicellular organisms like us so complex. Multicellular organisms are composed of many different organ systems, which are made out of different organs, which are made out of tissues, which are made out of cells. The human body contains many different types of cells in order to form all of the tissues necessary to allow the organ systems of the body to function.  

For an organ to properly function, one of the things it requires is the help of specialized tissues coming together. For example, the heart is composed of many different tissues called cardiac tissue (Cardiac is an adjective that means “having to do with the heart”). These tissues allow it to pump blood throughout the body. This allows the heart to participate in the circulatory system where it pumps blood through many vessels which act like pipes throughout our body. 

The difference between an organ and a tissue is that tissues are made up of one type of cell. Organs are made up of multiple different tissues. For example, the stomach is made up of stomach tissue but also other types of muscle tissue which help it squeeze food around. This is why it is an organ. The stomach is part of the digestive system. The digestive organ system is made up of many different organs including the stomach, pancreas, liver, and even the gallbladder. These are all organs which do different tasks for the body. 

The respiratory system is a complex organ system composed of the lungs, blood vessels, and airways to help you breathe. It brings in oxygen as you inhale and filters out carbon dioxide as you exhale. 

The main parts of the excretory system include the kidneys and the bladder. The kidneys help filter toxins from the blood and create urine which is stored in the bladder.