Animal Anatomy and Physiology: General and Levels of Structural Development

What is Anatomy and Physiology?

Anatomy & Physiology encompasses the study of the structure and function of the bodies of farm animals, including ruminant like cattle, goats, and sheep, as well as non-ruminants like pigs, horses, and poultry.

Anatomy

is the scientific study of the structure of animals, encompassing their internal and external organs, tissues, and how they are organized, helping us understand how animals function, adapt, and evolve.

Physiology

is the scientific study of the functions and processes that sustain animal life, examining how animals work at various levels of organization, from cells to whole organisms, and how they respond to their environment

Body Systems

• Reproductive

  • Gonads: Testes (Male) Ovaries (Female)

  • Female: oviduct, uterus, vagina, cervix

  • Male: epididymis, vas deferens, penis

  • Hormones from the Pituitary and Hypothalamus glands

  • Creates offspring

• Integumentary

  • Skin, hair, nails

  • Protect the body and regulate temperature

• Skeletal

  • Bones

  • Provide support & structure

  • Protects vital organs

• Muscular

  • Enables movement and maintain posture

• Nervous

  • Comprised of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves

  • Control body functions and respond to stimuli

• Endocrine

  • Glands that produce hormones that regulate various bodily functions including growth and reproduction

• Cardiovascular

  • Heart and blood vessels

  • Circulates blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues

• Urinary

  • Kidneys and bladder

  • Filter waste from the blood

  • Respiratory

• Lungs and airways

  • Facilitate gas exchange (oxygen in, carbon dioxide out)

• Digestive

  • Stomach, intestines, and associated organs break down food and absorb nutrients

• Lymphatic

  • A network of vessels and nodes that filter lymph and play a role in immunity

• Immune

  • Body’s defense system against pathogens and foreign substances

• Mammary

  • Udder, secretory tissue with alveoli, ductal system, cisterns, and teats

  • Feeding offspring

Levels of Structural Development

• Cells

• Tissues

• Organs

• Organ System

Cells

Basic structural unit of life

Tissues

A group of cells that are similar in structure and function and work together to perform specific tasks within an organism.

Organs

A structure composed of two or more different types of tissues that work together to perform specific functions.

Organ Systems

A group of organs that work together to perform coordinated functions & carry out specific physiological processes within an organism.

Cell Characteristics:

• Smallest independently functioning unit of an organism that can carry out all the processes necessary for life.

• Enclosed by a membrane & contains genetic material (DNA) & various organelles

• Perform a wide range of functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli.

What are the 4 types of tissues?

1. Epithelial Tissue

2. Connective Tissue

3. Muscle Tissue

4. Nervous Tissue

Epithelial Tissue

Covers surfaces, lines cavities, and forms glands. Serves as a protective covering for both external and internal surfaces. Covers organs, secretory cells of glands, and lines viscera and blood vessels.

Connective Tissue

Provides support, connects, and protects other tissues and organs. Provides mechanical support, a place for metabolite exchange, a place for energy storage, a place for inflammation, and  a place for fibrosis-healing. Carries RBCs – carries O2 to & CO2 from the body’s tissues, WBCs – manufactured in bone marrow. Pass through the blood to connective tissue for defense, and platelets – act in blood clotting.

Muscle Tissue

• Contracts to produce movement.

• Responsible for generating force & producing movement.

• 3 Types: Smooth, Skeletal, and Cardiac

Nervous Tissue

• Transmits & processes nerve impulses.

• Specialized for transmitting electrical impulses & coordinating sensory perception, motor function, and higher cognitive processes.

• Provides transmission, reception, and integration of electrical impulses.

Organs Characteristics:

• More complex than tissues & often have a characteristic shape and organization.

• Each organ typically has a primary function or set of functions essential for the organism’s survival and well being.

Organs Examples:

Heart

Lungs

Liver

Brain

Kidneys

Stomach

Skin

Intestines

Organ Systems Characteristics:

Organized hierarchically, with each system comprising multiple organs that collaborate to maintain homeostasis and support the overall health of the organism.

Organ Systems Examples:

• Cardiovascular

• Respiratory

• Digestive

• Nervous

• Endocrine

• Musculoskeletal

• Integumentary

• Urinary

• Reproductive