Activity 2: Organ- System Level
1. There are eleven organ systems in our body. This includes the Integumentary System which protects the body as the first line of defense; Skeletal System which supports and protects the body; Muscular System which produces body movements; Nervous System which generates action potentials to regulate body activities; Endocrine System which regulates body activities by releasing hormones which are chemical messengers transported in blood from an endocrine gland to a target organ; Cardiovascular System in which the heart pumps blood through blood vessels; Lymphatic System which returns proteins and fluid to blood; Respiratory System which transfers oxygen from inhaled air to blood and CO2 from blood to exhaled air; Digestive System which achieves physical and chemical breakdown of food; Urinary System which produces, stores, eliminates urine; and lastly Reproductive System which gonads produce gametes that unite to form a new organism.
2. The Respiratory and Urinary Systems are the organ systems that regulate acid-base balance in body fluids. The lungs are the organs in the Respiratory System responsible for removing massive amounts of acid produced each day by metabolic processes. The kidneys are the organs in the urinary system that excrete hydrogen ions and bicarbonate, which helps keep blood plasma in a normal range.