Cellular Organization

FIVE LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

7-3.1 SUMMARIZE THE LEVELS OF
STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION
WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY.
Levels of Organization
• From smallest to largest:

Cells

Tissues

Organs

Organ systems

Organism
 Cells

 Cell – basic unit of structure and function in living

things.
 Cells make up all living things.
 The Benefits of Being Multicellular

 Larger size
 The larger you are, the less predators you have, and you can
eat larger prey!
 Longer life
 Longer life-span than unicellular organisms.

 Specialization
 Each type of cell has a particular job.

 This makes the organism more efficient.

 Tissues

 Tissue – group of similar cells that perform the

same function.
 Most animals (including humans) have four basic
types of tissue:
 Muscle tissue
 Nerve tissue
 Connective tissue
 Protective tissue
 Muscle Tissue

 Muscle tissue – makes parts of your body move by

contracting (shortening) and relaxing.
 In some cases, like throwing a ball, you control the
movement.
 In other cases, such as the beating of your heart, the
movement occurs without conscious control.
 Nerve Tissue

 Nerve tissue – carries messages back and forth

between the brain and every other part of the body.
 Connective Tissue

 Connective Tissue – provides support for your body

and connects all its parts.
 Ex:
 Bone – supports & protects
 Fat – insulation & energy storage
 Blood
 Tendons
 Ligaments
 cartilage
 Epithelial Tissue

 Functions as a boundry.
 Covers the surfaces of the body, inside (as lining/or
covering of internal organs) and outside of the body.
 Organs
 Organ – structure composed of
two or more different types of
tissue that work together for a
specific function.
 Each organ performs a specific job.
 Ex:
 Heart – pumps blood throughout the
body
 Stomach – breaks down food so that it
can be absorbed by the intestines.
 Organ Systems

 Organ system – a group of two ore more organs

that work together to perform a specific job.
 Ex:
 Circulatory system – heart, blood vessels, blood
There are 11 different organ systems in the human body.
Circulatory, digestive, endocrine, excretory, immune,
integumentary (skin), muscular, nervous, reproductive,
respiratory, and skeletal.
 Organism

 Organism - a living thing

 Structure & Function
 Structure - the arrangement of parts in an
organism
 Includes the shape of a part and the material from which it is
made.
 Function - the job the part does
 Ex: structure of lungs (spongy sac) is related to its function
 Homeostasis

 The different organ systems work together and

depend on one another.
 Ex:
 Respiratory, digestive & circulatory systems work together to fuel
muscles with the energy they need.
 The systems of the human body work together to
maintain homeostasis.
 Your body is constantly regulating internal
conditions.
 Blood sugar, posture, temperature.