Organ System Interactions
Respiratory
Respiratory and circulatory systems
Both systems work together. The circulatory system sends blood to the respiratory system's lungs, after the blood reaches the lungs it gives oxygen which then takes from the lungs and gives to different organs in the body. When the blood cells return for more oxygen, they give the lungs the leftover waste of the oxygen, known as Carbon dioxide
The circulatory system also plays a role in cellular respiration. The respiratory system gathers oxygen which the cells will use to break down glucose to produce ATP. The job of the circulatory system is to take oxygen from the respiratory system along with glucose from the digestive systems to cells. This gives them everything they need to produce ATP
Respiratory and skeletal systems
Both systems need each other as the respiratory system provides essential oxygen to the bones of the body. This oxygen helps the skeletal system retain its structure and density. In return, the skeletal system protects the respiratory system from most damage.
The most prevalent example of this is the ribs and the lungs. The ribs are bones that surround the lungs and heart to protect them from harm. Without the ribs, damage to the lungs would be much easier and could lead to the lungs collapsing
Respiratory and muscular systems
work together in many ways. First, without oxygen from our respiratory system we can't move our muscles, and to use our lungs to get this oxygen, we need the help of our muscles like the:
The diaphragm which is a dome-shaped muscle right beneath your lungs. It is the main muscle when it comes to breathing
the neck muscles are muscles that help you inhale, meaning without them you cannot breathe
When doing something physically demanding, say working out, the abdominal muscles help you exhale
the muscles in between the ribs known as intercostal muscles, similar to the abdominal muscles, help you breathe when doing something physically demanding
The pharynx and other facial muscles, such as the nose, and mouth, are all also very important muscles that help with breathing, if they suddenly collapsed you wouldn't be able to breathe
Respiratory and nervous systems
This system interacts with the respiratory system in a few ways. Firstly the brain monitors respiratory volume and blood gas levels, on top of this it controls your breathing for you, which is why you don't notice yourself breathing (until you read this!).
Your nervous system can also, tell the body to slow your breathing by narrowing the bronchial tube and widening the blood vessels. This is called the parasympathetic system,
on the other hand, you have the complete opposite. This is called the sympathetic system and it increases your breathing rate by widening your bronchial tubes and narrowing the blood vessels, all done by the nervous system.
Your nervous system also helps the muscular system interact with the respiratory system as the nervous system controls the muscles that help you breathe. For example, the nervous system controls the diaphragm, neck muscles, intercostal muscles, etc
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Respiratory and digestive systems
These two systems have a few interactions you could point to.
For example, cellular respiration, is the act of a cell breaking down glucose, a simple sugar molecule, using oxygen in an effort to make ATP, the main form of energy for a cell. The respiratory system has the job of gathering the oxygen the cells use to break down glucose.
The role the digestive system plays is found in glucose, which can only be obtained through digestive processes. These digestive processes are numerous but they include, eating food, food travelling through your digestive system to your stomach, and the food being digested, this is when the glucose arrives into your body to do cell respiration.
This whole system also, at the minimum needs the circulatory system as the circulatory system is the system that takes the glucose from the digestive system to cells and is also the system that delivers the oxygen to the cells so this process can happen in the first place.
Respiratory and lymphatic systems
The lymphatic system is a system that is responsible for cleaning up fluids that leak out of the bloodstream. This is done so the fluid levels in our tissues aren't too high.
The lymphatic system is also responsible for defending against infections in the body. Especially for the respiratory system, which is situated near lymphatic tissues.
This is purposely done by the body as the lungs are often exposed to the external environment through things like allergens, pathogens, particles, chemicals, and toxins. This all means the lymphatic system needs to be in overdrive when dealing with the respiratory system or else the risk of infection would skyrocket.
It is also essential to clear up any unwanted fluids in the lungs which is another reason why the lymph nodes are placed so closely inside and around the respiratory system.
Respiratory and Integumentary
systems
though their arent many interactions to point to between the respiratory system and integumentary system, asides from the basics like the lungs would supply the skin with oxygen, one very important interaction the integumentary has with the respiratory system is hair, more specifically nose hair.
Nose hair is a part of the integumentary system that has the duty of trapping particles such as dust, small particles, and microorganisms in the nose before they can enter the lungs. This helps the body's respiratory system avoid infections. This is also the reason we sneeze, as when enough gets trapped in the nostrils we must dislodge them. This means that the respiratory system, more specifically the lungs breathe in through the nose to get oxygen, the nose hairs then trap any foreign particles and only allow air to pass through.
Circulatory --->
Circulatory
Circulatory and skeletal
the skeletal systems though not having many roles in the circulatory system do have the duty of protecting the bone marrow. The bone marrow is a part of the lymphatic system and is within the safety of the bones.
The reason red bone marrow being safe is so important is that red bone marrow produces red and white blood cells. These cells of course are a part of the circulatory system meaning they would go on to carry the oxygen or fight bacteria when fully developed. This means that without the skeletal system protecting the bone marrow, it could get irreparably damaged causing issues when creating white and red blood cells
The reason red bone marrow being safe is so important is that red bone marrow produces red and white blood cells. These cells of course are a part of the circulatory system meaning they would go on to carry the oxygen or fight bacteria when fully developed. This means that without the skeletal system protecting the bone marrow, it could get irreparably damaged causing issues when creating white and red blood cells
Circulatory and muscular
Circulatory and muscular the circulatory system supplies oxygen to different organs and organ systems. One of the more interesting organs that the circulatory system interacts with is the muscular system. This is because normally your blood is spread evenly across the whole body and supplies every part of the body with adequate amounts of oxygen.
However, this gets bypassed when the nervous system senses that the muscular system is working harder than usual, this is mostly when you're engaging in something physical.
When this happens the circulatory system focuses on the muscles to give them enough energy to continue being used at the rate they are. The circulatory system also expands small blood vessels near the skin to help the heat generated disperse.
Circulatory and nervous
The circulatory system and the nervous system are very related as the brain directly controls the blood pressure of the body as well as the heart rate. This is done because the brain knows if you're doing something physically demanding you'll need to pump more blood so your blood pressure and heart rate go up.
It also controls how the blood moves, for example, if it's cold the blood vessels would shrink and this is done by the nervous system using the lymphatic system and circulatory systems.
Circulatory and digestive
the circulatory system is an irreplaceable helper for the digestive system. Past just giving blood to all the digestive system organs, the circulatory system also transports the nutrients the digestive system makes. This is done through a long journey that starts with the food you intake.
Once it's digested in the stomach it goes down to the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream, this nutrient-rich blood then reaches the liver where it's processed and then absorbed.
The circulatory and digestive system's jobs don't end here however, the liver gives new nutrients to the blood to give around to different tissues which require nutrients. Without the circulatory system, the digestive system would be pointless as there wouldn't be a way to transport the nutrients around.
Circulatory and endocrine
the endocrine system controls hormones which act as chemical messages, similar to the electrical messages of the nervous system. These messages hold a lot of power in the body as they control how our organs, metabolism, reproduction, body growth, body hair, etc, all work.
The endocrine system interacts with the circulatory system because of the way it delivers these chemical messages. The endocrine system has endocrine glands which release hormones directly into the bloodstream, the blood then carries these messages to different tissues in the body.
Circulatory and lymphatic
these 2 systems are interconnected through the lymphatic vessel, vessels that are located alongside the blood vessel throughout the body. These vessels collect the excess fluid in the body known as lymph and return it to the bloodstream.
This is done to prevent tissues from swelling from the excess lymph. The lymphatic system also produces white blood cells and then dumps them into the bloodstream to help fight against infections.
muscular and Integumentary
he integumentary system and the circulatory system both work together to keep the body at a steady temperature.
This is done through capillaries, when it is too warm, the skin increases the amount of blood flowing near the skin by widening the blood vessels, which allows heat to have more room to disperse into the environment.
The opposite is also true, when it is too cold the blood vessels shrink which allows the body to hold onto more heat.
This is done through capillaries, when it is too warm, the skin increases the amount of blood flowing near the skin by widening the blood vessels, which allows heat to have more room to disperse into the environment.
The opposite is also true, when it is too cold the blood vessels shrink which allows the body to hold onto more heat.
Muscular --->
Muscular
muscular and skeletal
these 2 systems are linked together in many different ways. In fact, they're so connected they’re known as the musculoskeletal system. These two systems work together to do many things such as help us move.
For example, when a muscle in the muscular system contracts it pulls on a tendon, a muscle tendon being a tough and flexible muscle that connects muscle to bone, this causes the bone to be pulled alongside the muscle, creating movement at the joints.
There are also the skeletal muscles which are muscle tissues attached to bones, these skeletal muscles are all controlled by us consciously, meaning when you move your arm, legs, head, etc, it's all a combination of various tendons and skeletal muscles.
These 2 systems also help maintain our balance. The muscles keep the body upright while the bones help us keep our structure. To summarize this, the skeletal system combined with the muscular system helps maintain body structure, and posture supports your weight, and helps you move.
muscular and nervous
The muscular system needs the nervous system to be able to function at all. This is because the nervous system controls all the muscles, just as it controls most other organs, through electrical signals. For example, when you move your arm your nervous system fires off electrical signals telling your muscles and brain that you want your arm muscles to move.
The interactions don't stop here, the nervous system has many receptors within the muscles of the muscular system. These receptors send signals to the brain which help us with our body's position and how were moving. It's how you know where your hands, fingers, and legs are. The nervous system also controls the contractions of the skeletal muscles (part of the muscular and skeletal systems.)
muscular and digestive
the muscular and digestive systems both work together to make sure we can properly digest and absorb food.
This interaction starts when the mouth muscles move to chew and swallow food down the esophagus. As the food approaches the stomach, a muscle that separates the esophagus and stomach known as the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes allowing food to pass through, after this it tenses back up so nothing else can enter the stomach.
Within the star organ of the digestive system, the stomach, some muscles relax to allow larger amounts of food to fit in the stomach. The stomach then mixes foods, liquids, and digestive acids and enzymes by forcing stomach muscles to churn.
After this, the chyme (what's left after food exits the stomach) goes into the small intestine. To help the chyme pass through it, the muscles in the small intestine contract, pushing the food down.
muscular and lymphatic
these 2 systems are both interconnected to the goal of maintaining the body's overall health. A way they both interact is through muscle contractions. Muscle contractions can help the lymphatic system move fluids throughout the body by pushing them forward, somewhat similar to the muscles in the digestive systems small intestine pushing chyme down through muscle contractions.
This process works especially well when exercising. When working out muscle contractions are much more prominent and powerful, allowing for even better fluid movement.
muscular and Integumentary
muscles in the muscular system tend to produce a lot of heat, especially during physical activity. It is for this reason that the integumentary system is needed for the muscular system.
The integumentary system helps cool down the muscles through sweat glands on the surface of the skin. Though this cools down the entire body, it's most important for the muscles as they’d overheat very fast if this wasn't done. This is because the muscles are constantly in motion, creating heat.
the integumentary system also has sensors within the skin, these sensors detect pain, pressure, temperature, etc. This information from the sensors is sent from the skin to the nervous system and then to the muscles. This allows us to know where our body parts are, and respond to external events. An example of this is when you burn your hand, without you needing to do anything your hand quickly would jolt out of the way without your input.
skeletal --->
skeletal
skeletal and nervous
the nervous system and the skeletal system are two very important organ systems with many different interactions. One of these is known as bone remodelling. Bone remodelling is the process of the bones in our bodies changing over our lifetimes. This remodelling happens is controlled by the nervous system. This is done to keep the structural integrity of the bones.
Another important interaction between these 2 systems is the special protection they get from the skeletal system. This protection is found in the 2 most important parts of the nervous system; the brain and spinal cord. The brain is protected by the skull while the spine is protected by the vertebrae.
skeletal and digestive
though they may not seem like it, but the skeletal and digestive systems both are very interconnected with each other. Take for instance our teeth. Our teeth serve to chew food to make it more digestible for our digestive system. In return, the digestive system gives the skeletal system all the nutrients it needs to develop, specifically calcium, which is one of the main ingredients of bones.
skeletal and endocrine
these 2 organ systems work together in various ways. The endocrine system for example produces hormones that regulate bone growth and maintenance of bone, and it helps in the remodelling of bones. Many hormones do this such as growth hormones, testosterone, and thyroid hormones.
The endocrine system also helps to regulate the amount of calcium in the body through hormones such as s parathyroid hormone, which increases the amount of calcium in the blood. This is especially important for the skeletal system which relies heavily on calcium for the formation and maintenance of the bones.
skeletal and reproductive
the skeletal system changes a lot when the reproductive system starts. For example, the skeleton is significantly strengthened by the reproductive system.
This is done because, during puberty, a significant amount of estrogen/testosterone is released in the body by the reproductive system and the endocrine system, this stimulates bone growth along with increasing bone density.
The reproductive system also produces calcium in the form of breast milk for infant children. This allows those children to develop full skeletons.
nervous --->
nervous
nervous and digestive
much of the digestive process is controlled by the nervous system. This includes a person's appetite. When there isn't any food in the digestive system, the brain sends signals which make a person hungry.
Another part of the digestive process controlled by the nervous system is the preparation of the digestive system to digest food. When the nervous system senses food in the digestive system, it sends signals which dilate blood vessels in digestive organs and increases the heart rate.
In return, some vitamins and nutrients like calcium are sent to the nerves to help maintain them.
nervous and Integumentary
the nervous system has a big job when controlling the integumentary system. 1 of the interactions observable between these systems is the cooling of the body.
When the external environment gets too warm, receptors in our skin sense that our body temperature is rising and activate sweat glands to produce sweat in an effort to cool us down.
The nervous system also uses the integumentary system to give us our sense of touch. epidermis, which is the outermost layer of the skin, has special sensory nerves that send a signal to the brain wherever we touch an object. This is then translated by your brain as the feeling of touch. This same concept also applies to us feeling temperature and pain.
nervous and endocrine
these 2 systems are surprisingly similar. The nervous system sends signals via an electrical signal, while the endocrine opts to send these signals via hormones. These organ systems being similar means they must communicate with each other, and they do. The endocrine and nervous systems communicate with each other by using the hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus is part of the brain, meaning part of the nervous system, which reacts to messages from the endocrine and nervous systems. These messages tell it to maintain things like body temperature and pressure, hunger and thirst, the feeling of being full after eating, mood, sex drive, sleep, etc, all in an effort to keep your body healthy and in balance.
You can think of the hypothalamus as the part of the brain that gives you your basic human drives. It does this by sending electrical signals and by managing hormones.
nervous and reproductive
the nervous system and the reproductive system are systems that interact heavily. One of the ways they interact is through hormone-sensitive brain receptors. These receptors get sent hormones by the endocrine system, which tells the body to do different things. Some of these things are awakening reproductive cycles in females, fertility, and sexual behaviour / sexual drive.
Digestive --->
Digestive
Digestive and lymphatic
one of the jobs of the lymphatic system is to clean excess fluids throughout the body, these fluids being known as lymph. This lymph can be comprised of many different things, including fats and proteins found in the intestines. The lymphatic system reabsorbs these excess fats and proteins into the bloodstream, almost recycling them in a way.
The lymphatic system also has a duty of defending our body against pathogens. As I mentioned in the respiratory system section, the lymphatic system is specifically lined up with the respiratory system as it is often exposed to the external environment. The same is true for the digestive system. It is lined up with the lymphatic system as it is exposed to the environment as much as the respiratory system is. This exposure comes through the food you digest which carries pathogens.
Digestive and Integumentary
one of the more surprising abilities of the Integumentary system is the ability to synthesize vitamin D, which occurs when the integumentary system is exposed to sunlight. The digestive system on the other hand needs to absorb calcium from food. The only way to do this is through vitamin D, which again is synthesized by the skin.
After the digestive system absorbs the calcium thanks to the Integumentary system, it repays it by supplying the system with the very same calcium. This is important for the skin because calcium helps to create keratinocytes, the most abundant cell in the epidermis layer of the skin. This cell is important for repairing frequently hurt skin.
Digestive and endocrine
when digesting food, the endocrine system releases various hormones and enzymes to aid the digestive system.
It starts with food entering the stomach, when the endocrine system senses this it releases hormones known as gastrin through G cells. The gastrin hormone stimulates the release of stomach acids to begin the digestion process.
After the chyme (leftover waste after gastric digestion) is passed through the stomach, the hormone known as somatostatin is called by the endocrine system to stop the release of stomach acid.
Digestive and reproductive
The interconnected relationship between these 2 systems is one of the most important in the body. This has to do with females during pregnancy. While the baby is developing, it relies solely on its mother's digestive system to feed it enough vitamins, minerals, nutrients, fats, etc, to create a living organism with its own organ systems that have their own interconnections. .
This is done through the placenta, which transports digested food into the developing fetus to nourish it
Endocrine --->
Endocrine
Endocrine and lymphatic
both systems involve the immune system, and due to this similarity, they have many interactions.
The endocrine system is related to the immune system as it deals with all sorts of glands, which usually secrete hormones. One of the glands within the endocrine system is the thymus gland, found within the thymus organ, it is the main location for the production of immune cells.
The thymus glands produce T cells, these T cells help the lymphatic system fight against invaders in the body. To summarize in simpler terms, the thymus gland produces T cells, which the lymphatic system takes and uses to defend the body against pathogens.
Endocrine and Integumentary
The endocrine and integumentary systems both have various forms of interacting with one another. An example of this is seen in the endocrine system's ability to regulate skin cell growth through hormones
Another example of this is facial hair. Facial hair is a part of the integumentary system. It comes about when the endocrine system releases enough testosterone, a hormone that amongst many things affects facial hair growth.
Endocrine and reproductive
these 2 organ systems are very closely tied to one another. The endocrine system sends out hormones, and these very same hormones start-up reproductive systems. For instance, endocrine glands located within the reproductive system secrete sex hormones to trigger physical, mental, and chemical changes in a person.
The endocrine system also secretes testosterone and estrogen, the 2 main hormones that cause the physical differences between men and women. These hormones trigger puberty, which is the start of a person's reproductive capabilities.
reproductive --->
reproductive
reproductive and lymphatic
these 2 systems have a few connections with each other. One of these interactions is the birthplace of many lymphatic vessels. This location is in the ovaries and uterus of a female human.
reproductive and integumentary
these 2 systems can be interconnected in certain ways. One of these ways is secondary sex characteristic development. Simply put these are characteristics either sex gets after puberty. The reproductive system helps start puberty while the integumentary plays a role here as it helps to develop one of the 2nd characteristics, facial and body hair.
Lymphatic --->
Lymphatic
Lymphatic and integumentary
these systems are interconnected in various ways. One of these ways is that the lymphatic system maintains a clean body without excess lymph within it. If your body were to have too much lymph your skin health would suffer. You would notice things like acne, dehydration, and more. This is because of the ability of the skin to get hydration and nutrients from the lymphatic system. When the lymphatic system is clogged with lymph it blocks these things resulting in worse skin health.