Organ Systems of

Representative Animals

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you
master the nature of Animal Organ Systems. The scope of this module
permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language
used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are
arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in
which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you
are now using.

The module is divided into three lessons, namely:

• Lesson 1 – Characteristics of Different Organ System of representative
animals.
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. identify the different organ systems of representative animals;
2. describe the characteristics of different organ systems of representative
animals.

Describe the General and Unique

Characteristics of the Different Organ
Systems in Representative Animals.

What happens when organisms become more complex? How do organisms

built
of billions, or even trillions of cells get the raw materials needed to each and
every
cell? The answer is body systems. Large, complex organisms need many
levels of
organization to ensure all cells get what they need to perform life functions.
The body of an animal is like a well- organized machine capable of
performing
different task. The ability of the body to do all the things it can do is due to
the special
structures both inside and outside that work together in an orderly manner.
 relies on the other systems to work well to maintain internal stability
and balance,
otherwise known as homeostasis.

The human body and even the simplest animal is made up of several organ
systems that work as one unit. The major organ systems of the body work
together,
either directly or indirectly, to keep the body functioning normally. The body
is a
chemical and physical machine. As such, it is subject to certain laws. These
are
sometimes called natural laws. Each part of the body is engineered to do a
particular
function necessary for everyday living.

The Animal Organ Systems

1. Digestive System
Animal nutrition is the process of taking in, taking apart and taking up the
nutrients from the food source. Food processing has four main stages:
Ingestion,
Digestion, Absorption, and Elimination or Egestion.
In animals with complete digestive system, where the entrance and exit of
food
and waste are different, they have different kind of mechanisms of ingestion
depending on their evolutionary adaptation to their food.
In other animals, such as in cnidarians (jellyfish, anemone, coral) where the
entrance and exit of food and waste is the same, the region where this
occurs is called
the gastrovascular cavity.

2. Respiratory System
Gas exchange is very important animals, as they require oxygen in the
production of higher amount of energy compared to process of energy
production
without oxygen.
Air as a respiratory medium- As air is lighter and has more oxygen content
compared to the same volume of water, ventilation is not much of a
problem of
terrestrial organisms.

The tracheal system of insects- The tracheal system of insects has a

branched
network of tracheal tube which responds to the problem of decreased
surface area in
the respiratory structure. The tracheal system opens externally through the
side of the
insect through a structure called a spiracle. Air enters and exit through the
spiracles.
As the respiratory system of insects are independent from their circulatory
system,
gases is directly exchanged through tracheoles which have extensions that
are directly
connected to the cells. Air sacs act like aspirator which takes in and push
out air out
of the body of the insects.
The mammalian respiratory system- Compared to insects, mammals and
other
organisms have respiratory system that work together with their circulatory
system.
Gases are transported via the bloodstream and are exchanged via diffusion.

Terrestrial ventilation - The alternating process of inhalation and exhalation.

There are two mechanisms of breathing, one is positive breathing and the
other is
negative breathing. In positive breathing air is pushed into the lungs, such
as in frogs.

3. Circulatory System
There are different ways in which animals transport substances across their
body. In animals with closed circulatory system, the circulatory fluid does
not go out
of the vessel. Exchange occurs through diffusion via thinner vessels called
capillaries
across the interstitial fluid.
Different animals, have adapted different mechanisms in transport such as
in
fishes where a single circulation is enough. Compared to cnidarians, the
gastrovascular cavity of flatworms have extensions in order to reach areas
of the body
far from the axis. Without these extensions of the gastrovascular cavity,
diffusion
might not be enough in the transport of substances.

Amphibian double circulation differs from mammalian, crocodilian and avian

as blood is mixed. The presence of one ventricle does not prevent the
mixing of blood,
unlike in the four-chambered heart of a mammal, crocodilian and an avian
where the
ventricle is divided into two. Mixing of blood does not have major
implication on
amphibians as:

1) they have low metabolic rate, thus, less need for energy;
2) they have the ability to respire through their skin, thus not needing to
fully
oxygenate the blood through the lungs.

4. Urinary System
In order to remove wastes, animals have the excretory system, which
enables it
to remove excess salt or water in the body. Waste removal follows the
following
processes, 1.) filtration, 2.) reabsorption, 3.) secretion, and 4.) excretion
Organisms have different wastes in the form of nitrogenous wastes which
they
need to excrete. Different organisms have different excretory system, such
as the
protonephridia of flatworms, metanephridia of annelids, malpighian tubules
of insects
and the nephrons of humans and mammals.

5. Immune System
Defends the internal environment from invading microorganisms and
viruses,
as well as cancerous cell growth. The immune system provides cells that aid
in
protection of the body from disease via the antigen/antibody response. A
variety of
general responses are also part of this system.
6. Endocrine System
Hormones are substances which can cause a reaction to a cell, in Greek it
literally means to excite. It is secreted into extracellular fluid such in blood
or lymph
and transported to target cells to elicit a specific response, which can be
rapid or slow.
The growth and development of the body are examples of slow and long
term effect of
a hormone while circadian rhythm which is responsible for the sleep and-
wake cycles
respond to a more rapid response to a hormone. In an endocrine pathway,
the
reaction involves an endocrine cell, which releases the hormone to the
bloodstream or
the lymphatic system, which is able to attach to receptors of a target cell.

7. Nervous System
The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord, while,
the
peripheral nervous system is composed of corresponding structures outside
of this
two organs of the nervous system. The central nervous system is
responsible for
data/information processing which is gathered by the peripheral nervous
system.
Upon processing, the CNS transmit the message again to the PNS, which
then convey
the message for the appropriate response.
The nervous system has evolved in increasing complexity throughout the
different groups of animals. Connections among the neurons has increased,
as seen in
the development of the nervous system from a simple nerve net to a
system with
ganglia (group of neuron) to encephalized organisms where concentration of
neurons
are centered in a head. Below shows the changes in the nervous system of
organisms:

8. Muscular System
The skeletal muscle is organized from its largest structure (the muscle
tissue
itself) to its functional unit (the sarcomere) as a repeating longitudinal
structure that
is bound together. Contraction is possible because of the structural
organization of
protein molecules that makes up the sarcomere. When contraction occurs,
the
sarcomere shortens and this is reflected in the contraction of a muscle (you
can ask
the students to flex their biceps, and ask them if their muscle shortened). In
terms of
the molecular and physiological process of contraction, nerve impulse
transmission is
needed to depolarize the cell membrane of the muscle to stimulate
contraction.

9. Skeletal System
It provides support and protection, and attachment points for muscles. The
skeletal system provides rigid framework for movement. It supports and
protects the
body and body parts, produces blood cells, and stores minerals.
A clam’s shell is an example of an exoskeleton and the bones and cartilage
in a
human is an example of an endoskeleton. An endoskeleton should not be
misconceived to be only made up of bones, as even in humans, our
skeletons are
made up of cartilage and bones, while, shark’s endoskeleton is made up of
cartilage.
We have different bones which our muscles can pull to create movement,
and the
different types of joints are responsible for different movement that our
body can
create.

Tissues, Organs, & Systems

Multi-cellular organisms have many cells that work together in specific
ways,
each group performing certain functions. When each group does its part, the
organism
gets everything that it needs. A Tissue is a large group of cells that all have
the same
purpose or function. Each kind of cell has unique characteristics such as
shape, size,
flexibility, color and texture. Nerve cell combined with other nerve cell to
make nerve
tissue. Muscle cell combined with other muscle cell to make muscle tissue.
cell
combine with other bone cell to make bone tissue.

An Organ is a group of tissues that work together to do a certain job for the
body.
Some of the human body’s organs include the stomach, lungs, heart,
kidneys, brain
and liver. Some of a plant’s organs include roots, stems, fruit and leaves.
When
several different organs join to meet the organism’s needs, they are working
together
in an organ system.

There are several different organ systems constantly working in most

multicellular organisms. You are probably familiar with some of the human
body systems.
The respiratory system includes the lungs and all the body parts that allow
us to
breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. The circulatory system
includes the
heart and all the body parts that help move blood around the body. The
blood, in
turn, carries nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of the body. The respiratory
and
circulatory systems work very closely together. The digestive system helps
to get
nutrients from the food that we eaten and stored energy for future use. The
excretory
system helps remove waste product that would otherwise harm the body.
Each of the
body’s systems is necessary for the overall health of the body. As the body’s
building blocks, cells join to make tissues. Tissues join to make organs.
Organs join to
make systems. It’s all arranged to ensure the organism’s survival.

Body Systems Work Together You know that your body is made of cells.
When groups of cells do the same kind of work, they are called tissues. The
word tissue comes from a Latin word meaning to "weave." Cells that make
up tissues are sometimes "woven" together. You have four main types of
tissues: epithelial, nervous, muscle, and connective tissue. Epithelial tissue
covers the outside of the body. It also lines organs and cavities.

Nervous tissue sends electrical signals. Muscle tissue helps you move.
Connective tissue joins bones and cushions organs. When groups of tissues
work together, they are called organs. Some examples of organs are the
heart, lungs, skin, and stomach. When organs work together, they are called
systems. For example, your heart, lungs, blood, and blood vessels work
together. They make up the circulatory system. We have various systems in
our body: muscular system, respiratory system, digestive system, skeletal
system, circulatory system, immune system, endocrine system, nervous
system and urinary system. Each system has a special job
ACTIVITIES: