Organ system
Group of organs assembled in a structural unit to serve a common function
- 1 min read
- 3 chapters
Related on Lably
Through Biological system, Organ (biology) and Tissue (biology)
Humans
There are 11 distinct organ systems in human beings, which form the basis of human anatomy and physiology. These are the respiratory, digestive and excretory, circulatory, urinary, integumentary, skeletal, muscular, endocrine, lymphatic, nervous, and reproductive systems. There are other systems in the body that are not organ systems—for example, the immune system protects the organism from infection, but it is not an organ system since it is not composed of organs. Some organs are in more than one system—for example, the nose is in the respiratory system and also serves as a sensory organ in the nervous system; the testes and ovaries are both part of the reproductive and endocrine systems.
Sign in to keep reading
2 more chapters are free with a Lably account.
Other animals
Other animals have similar organ systems to humans, although simpler animals may have a lot of organs in an organ system or have fewer organ systems.
Plants
Plants have two major organs systems. Vascular plants have two distinct organ systems: a shoot system, and a root system. The shoot system consists stems, leaves, and the reproductive parts of the plant (flowers and fruits). The shoot system generally grows above ground, where it absorbs the light needed for photosynthesis. The root system, which supports the plants and absorbs water and minerals, is usually underground.