Biological Systems

Animal Organisation
Why does this matter?
2 223 passengers
Lifeboats – 1 178 people
1 517 died in water

2 hrs 40 min

- 2°C (15 min)

 Hypothermia

What is important?
• Body temperature
• The internal environment – optimal conditions for
cellular life (operate in narrow range)
• Must be regulated (kept stable) → ‘homeostasis’
• Homeostatic control systems (compensate for
external and internal changes)
• But there are limits…
 Hyperthermia

Imbalance
Energy in vs Energy out
 Biological Systems - Overview

❑ Types of tissue
❑ Organ systems, organs and body
cavities
❑ Circulatory Systems

❑ Respiratory Systems

❑ Human Urinary System

❑ Locomotion and Support

6
 Types of Tissue
❑ Tissues
➢ Collections of specialized cells organized to
perform a common function
➢ E.g.. Simple columnar are specialised cells – type
of epithelial tissue

❑ Organ
➢ Composed of two or more tissue types working
together for a particular function
➢ E.g. esophagus (food pipe) – epithelial & muscle
tissues

❑ Organ System
➢ Composed of various organs that cooperate to
carry out a general process
➢ E.g. the digestive system (mouth, esophagus,
stomach etc.)
 Types of Tissue
❑ The four tissue types are:
1) Epithelial
2) Connective
3) Muscular
4) Nervous
❖ Describe the different epithelial tissues
(NOT function).
 Epithelial Tissue (epithelium)
❑ Forms a continuous layer over body
surfaces

❑ Lines body cavities

❑ Forms glands
➢ Exocrine glands - Secrete products into
ducts or cavities
➢ Endocrine glands - Secrete products
directly into the bloodstream

❑ Functions include
➢ Protection, secretion, absorption,
excretion, filtration
Types of Epithelial Tissues in the Vertebrates
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Simple Simple cuboidal

squamous • lining of kidney
• lining of lungs, tubules, various
blood vessels glands
• allows diffusion • absorbs molecules

basement membrane basement membrane

(All): © Ed Reschke
 Types of Epithelial Tissues in the Vertebrates
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Pseudostratified, Stratified squamous

Simple columnar ciliated columnar • lining of nose,
• lining of small • lining of trachea mouth, esophagus,
intestine, oviducts • sweeps impurities anal canal, vagina
• absorbs nutrients toward throat • protects

cilia

goblet cell goblet cell

secretes secretes
mucus mucus

basement basement
membrane membrane
basement membrane

(All): © Ed Reschke
 Types of Epithelial Tissue
❑ Simple Epithelia - A single layer of cells
➢ Classified according to cell type
❖ Squamous epithelium – flattened cells
❖ Cuboidal epithelium – cube-shaped cells
❖ Columnar epithelium – cells resembling
columns

❑ Stratified Epithelia - Layers of cells

❑ Glandular Epithelia - Secretes a product

➢ A gland can be a single epithelial cell or
can contain many cells
 Connective Tissue
❑ Made up of 3 components:
1. Specialized cells
2. Ground substance - noncellular material
3. Protein fibers
➢ Collagen fibers - contain collagen
providing strength and flexibility
➢ Reticular fibers – contain thinly
branched collagen fibers
➢ Elastic fibers – contain elastin

❑ Three categories of connective tissue

1. Fibrous
2. Supportive
3. Fluid
 Connective Tissue
❑ Functions:
➢ Establishing a structural framework

➢ Transporting fluids and dissolved materials

➢ Protecting delicate organs

➢ Supporting, surrounding and interconnecting

tissues

➢ Storing energy reserves

➢ Defending the body from microorganisms

 Types of Fibrous Connective Tissue in Vertebrates
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Loose fibrous Adipose Dense fibrous

connective tissue connective
tissue tissue
• has space • cells are • has collagenous
between filled with fat. fibers closely
components. • occurs beneath packed.
• occurs beneath skin skin, around • in dermis of skin,
and most epithelial layers. heart and other organs. tendons, ligaments.
• functions in support and binds • functions in insulation, stores fat. • functions in support.
organs.
fibroblast

50 µm 50 µm 400x
elastic collagen collagen nuclei of
fiber fiber nucleus fibers fibroblasts

a. b. c.
(a, b); (c): © The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc. Dennis Strete, Photographer
Types of Supportive Connective Tissue in Vertebrates
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Hyaline Compact bone

cartilage • has cells in
• has cells in concentric
lacunae. rings.
• occurs in nose; • occurs in
in the walls of bones of
respiratory skeleton.
passages; at ends of bones, • functions in
Including ribs. support and protection.
• functions in support and central canal osteon
protection.

50 µm 320x
chondrocyte osteocyte canaliculi
within lacunae matrix within a lacuna

d. e.
(d, e): © Ed Reschke
 Fluid Connective Tissues
❑ Blood
➢ A connective tissue in which cells are
embedded in a liquid matrix (plasma)
1. Red blood cells – oxygen
transport
2. White blood cells – immune
response
3. Platelets – involved in the clotting
process

➢ Functions
❖ Transports nutrients and oxygen to
cells
❖ Removes carbon dioxide and other
wastes
❑ Lymph
➢ A fluid connective tissue located in
lymphatic vessels
 Muscular (contractile) Tissue
❑ Cells are called muscle fibers containing actin and
myosin filaments - movement

❑ Three types of muscle tissue:

1. Skeletal Muscle
➢ Voluntary - Long, striated fibers,
multinucleated
2. Smooth (visceral) Muscle
➢ Involuntary - No striations
3. Cardiac Muscle
➢ Striated, but mostly involuntary
➢ Cells are bound to each other by intercalated
disks
➢ Relies on pacemaker cells for regular
contraction
 Muscular Tissue
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Skeletal muscle Smooth muscle Cardiac muscle

• has striated cells • has spindle-shaped • has branching,
with multiple nuclei. cells, each with a striated cells, each
• occurs in muscles single nucleus. with a single nucleus.
attached to skeleton. • cells have no striations. • occurs in the wall of
• functions in voluntary • functions in movement of the heart.
movement of body. substances in lumens of body. • functions in the pumping
• is involuntary. of blood.
• is found in blood vessel walls and walls • is involuntary.
of the digestive tract.

striation nucleus
400 250
smooth muscle cell nucleus intercalated disk
nucleus

a. b. c.
a, c: © Ed Reschke; b: © McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Dennis Strete, photographer

Contractile cells containing actin and myosin filaments

 Nervous Tissue
❑ Conducts electrical impulses in the body

❑ Conveys information from one area to another

❑ Nervous tissue includes:

1. Neurons
➢ Transmit information
➢ Consist of dendrites, a cell body & axon
➢ Outside the brain and spinal cord, fibers bound
by connective tissue form nerves

2. Neuroglia
➢ Support and nourish neurons
➢ Neuroglia in brain include
❖ Microglia, astrocytes & oligodentrocytes
 Neurons and Neuroglia
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

dendrite

Neuron
nucleus

cell body

axon
Microglia
Astrocyte

Oligodendrocyte

myelin sheath
axon

b. Micrograph of a neuron 200×

Capillary
23
a. Neuron and neuroglia b: © Ed Reschke
 Nervous system Functions
❑ Sensory input
➢ Sensory receptors detect changes
➢ Transmit information to the spinal cord and
brain

❑ Data integration
➢ Spinal cord and brain integrate data
➢ Decision is made regarding appropriate
response

❑ Motor output
➢ Response is transmitted to effector (gland or
muscle)
➢ Effector initiates the actual response
 Organs, Organ Systems & Body Cavities
❑ Body Cavities
1. Dorsal cavity (toward the back)
➢ Contains the cranial cavity and the vertebral
canal
➢ The brain is in the cranial cavity, and
➢ The spinal cord is in the vertebral canal

2. Ventral cavity (toward the front) is divided into

➢ The thoracic cavity (includes heart and lungs),
➢ The abdominal cavity (most other internal
organs), and
➢ The pelvic cavity (certain reproductive organs)
Mammalian Body Cavities
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Cranial
cavity:
contains brain

Dorsal
cavity
Vertebral
cavity:
contains
Thoracic spinal cord
cavity:
contains heart,
lungs, and
diaphragm
esophagus

Abdominal
cavity:
Ventral contains stomach,
cavity liver , spleen,
pancreas,
and intestines

Pelvic
cavity:
contains certain
reproductive
organs
a.
 Mammalian Body Cavities
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Thoracic cavity:
contains esophagus,
heart, and lungs

Abdominal cavity:
contains digestive
and other organs

Pelvic cavity:
contains reproductive
and other organs

b.
Organ Systems
 CLASS ACTIVITY

❑ Choose one of the organ systems

we will be studying in the next few
weeks
❑ Make a mid map of the description
and function of the respective
organs, tissues and specialised cells
within the organ system