AP 1 Lab

1. The 11 Body Systems, Organs, and Functions

• Integumentary System:

  • Major Organs: Skin, hair, nails.

  • Function: Encloses internal body structures, acts as the site of many sensory receptors, and forms a protective physical barrier.

• Skeletal System:

  • Major Organs: Bones, cartilage, joints.

  • Function: Supports the body, enables movement (working alongside the muscular system), and protects internal organs.

• Muscular System:

  • Major Organs: Skeletal muscles, tendons.

  • Function: Enables body movement and helps maintain body temperature.

• Nervous System:

  • Major Organs: Brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves.

  • Function: Detects and processes sensory information and activates bodily responses.

• Endocrine System:

  • Major Organs: Pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, testes/ovaries.

  • Function: Secretes hormones to regulate bodily processes.

• Cardiovascular System:

  • Major Organs: Heart, blood vessels.

  • Function: Delivers oxygen and nutrients to tissues and equalizes body temperature.

• Lymphatic System:

  • Major Organs: Spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels45.

  • Function: Returns fluid to the blood and defends the body against pathogens.

• Respiratory System:

  • Major Organs: Nasal passage, trachea, lungs.

  • Function: Removes carbon dioxide from the body and delivers oxygen to the blood.

• Digestive System:

  • Major Organs: Mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine (including rectum).

  • Function: Processes food for use by the body and removes wastes from undigested food.

• Urinary System:

  • Major Organs: Kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder.

  • Function: Controls water balance in the body, filters wastes from the blood, and excretes them.

• Male & Female Reproductive Systems:

  • Major Organs: Male (testes, epididymis); Female (ovaries, uterus, mammary glands).

  • Function: Produces sex hormones and gametes; the female system additionally supports an embryo/fetus until birth and produces milk for the infant.

2. Cell Organelles and Their Functions

• Nucleus: The largest structure and control center of the cell; stores genetic instructions in threadlike chromatin (which condenses into chromosomes during cell division) for manufacturing proteins, surrounded by a nuclear envelope with nuclear pores.

• Plasma Membrane: A double layer of phospholipids that is selectively permeable; forms the outer boundary between the interior of the cell and its surrounding environment.

• Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER): Network of continuous channels studded with ribosomes; synthesizes and modifies proteins destined for the cell membrane or export out of the cell.

• Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (SER): Network of continuous channels lacking ribosomes; involved in lipid synthesis, calcium (Ca2+) storage, carbohydrate metabolism, and detoxification.

• Ribosomes: Composed of two rRNA subunits; serves as the direct site of protein synthesis (translation), found either floating freely in cytoplasm or embedded on the Rough ER.

• Golgi Apparatus: Responsible for sorting, modifying, and shipping products arriving from the Rough ER.

• Lysosomes: Contains digestive enzymes that break down and digest unneeded cellular components, damaged organelles, or foreign materials.

• Mitochondria: Membranous "powerhouse" or energy transformer of the cell; converts energy from nutrient molecules (like glucose) into usable cellular energy in the form of ATP.

• Peroxisomes: Membrane-bound organelles containing enzymes specialized for lipid metabolism and chemical detoxification.

• Cytoskeleton: Fibrous protein network (microtubules, microfilaments, intermediate filaments) that maintains cell shape/structural integrity, aids cell motility, and transports materials within the cell.

• Centrioles: Paired short microtubule structures that serve as the origin points for microtubules and assist in separating DNA during cell division