Ecology and Abiotic Factors Quiz

Human Body Systems

• The human body systems are categorized into four groups:
  • Infrastructure Systems (circulatory, muscular, nervous, and skeletal)
  • Regulation Systems (endocrine, lymphatic, and urinary)
  • Energy Systems (digestive and respiratory)
  • Reproductive Systems
• For easier memorization, the acronym "NICER DRUMS" can be used.

The Digestive System

• Food digestion occurs through two actions:
  • Physical/mechanical: physically breaking down food into smaller pieces
  • Chemical: breaking down food into absorbable molecules
• Organs of the digestive system include the pharynx, oral cavity, salivary glands, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, appendix, rectum, and anus.
• Processes of Digestion:
  • Ingestion: taking in food
  • Digestion: changing food into components the body can absorb
  • Absorption: taking in digested food into tissues and cells
  • Assimilation: the process of carrying absorbed molecules/nutrients to different parts of the body via blood vessels
• Egestion: ridding the body of solid waste.

The Mouth

• The mouth is the beginning of the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract)
• Food is broken down into smaller pieces through chewing (mechanical digestion).
• Saliva, produced in salivary glands, chemically digests food using enzymes like ptyalin or salivary amylase.
• Chewed food + saliva = bolus.

The Esophagus

• A thin tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
• Peristalsis—alternate contraction and relaxation of muscles—moves the bolus (food and saliva mix) through the esophagus.
• The esophageal sphincter prevents food from flowing back up.

The Stomach

• The stomach is involved in digestion.
• Mechanical and chemical digestion occurs, with the stomach lining secreting gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid (HCI).
• The stomach muscles churn and mix food, breaking it into a liquid called chyme, and pepsin helps digest protein.

The Small Intestine

• The small intestine is the longest part of the digestive system (20 feet/6 meters).
• Digestion and absorption are the primary functions.
• Composed of three parts: duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.
• The small intestine works with the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
• Villi are small structures in the intestinal wall that absorb nutrients from food.

The Large Intestine

• The large intestine absorbs water and excretes the solidified waste (feces/stool).
• Bacteria in the colon release fatty acids and vitamins.
• The rectum stores undigested food as feces/stool.
• The anal sphincter is located there.

Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of Digestive System Diseases

• Prevention methods include a healthy diet, exercise, avoiding smoking, and vaccination.
• Detection methods incorporate endoscopy, blood tests, stool tests, imaging, and breath tests.
• Treatment may involve medications, surgery, lifestyle changes, and probiotics.

The Excretory System

• The excretory system eliminates cellular waste from the body through different routes like lungs, skin, kidneys, and the digestive system.
• Types of waste removal include sweating, exhaling, and producing urine (and feces).
• The kidneys are essential organs, bean-shaped, filtering waste and excess fluids from the bloodstream to form urine.
• Urine travels from the kidneys to the bladder through ureters and exits the body through the urethra.
• Dehydration happens when the body lacks enough water to perform all functions; symptoms include little or no urine, dark urine, fatigue, and headaches.

The Respiratory System

• The respiratory system takes in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide.
• The upper respiratory tract consists of the nose (entrance of air, lined with cilia and mucous membrane), pharynx (also part of the digestive system), epiglottis (a flap that prevents food from entering the respiratory tract), and larynx (voice box).
• The lower respiratory tract comprises the trachea (windpipe connecting larynx to bronchi), lungs (main respiratory organs) ,bronchi (branching into bronchioles), and alveoli (air sacs for gas exchange).

The Circulatory System

• The circulatory system circulates blood throughout the body using the heart and blood vessels.

• Cardiac muscle cells (heart muscle cells) have the most mitochondria due to the heart's high energy demands.

• The circulatory system transports nutrients, gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide), hormones, waste, fights infections, and regulates body temperature.

• The heart has four chambers (two atria and two ventricles), is located in the center of the chest, and is roughly fist-sized.

• Blood vessels (arteries, capillaries, and veins) carry blood, with arteries having thicker walls to withstand pressure, capillaries being thin for substance exchange and veins having valves to prevent backflow.

• Deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium, travels through the right ventricle, pulmonary arteries, and lungs to become oxygenated. Oxygenated blood returns from the lungs to the left atrium, left ventricle, and aorta to the rest of the body.

The Reproductive System (Male)

• The male reproductive system's function is to ensure species survival.
• Accessory glands (prostate gland, bulbourethral gland) produce seminal fluids.
• Sperm travels through ducts (epididymis, vas deferens, ejaculatory duct, urethra) to exit the body.
• The testes produce testosterone and are located within the scrotum (to maintain ideal temp for sperm production).

The Reproductive System (Female)

• The female reproductive system's function is to ensure species survival.
• The ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone
• The uterus receives the fertilized egg, providing a suitable environment for fetal development.
• The vagina is the birth canal.

Nervous System

• The nervous system controls the body's functions through coordinated responses to information.

• The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain (control center), spinal cord (nerves from the brain to organs), and a network of nerves.

• The peripheral nervous system (PNS) guides voluntary movement (somatic nervous system) and regulates involuntary actions (autonomic nervous system).

Endocrine System

• The endocrine system comprises glands that secrete hormones, regulating bodily functions.
• The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland, adrenal gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, thymus, and pancreas, as well as the ovaries and testes, are key components..
• Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different bodily processes. Examples include testosterone to stimulate spermatogenesis, estrogen for female development and progesterone that maintains uterus lining.

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