Science 8 Notes

Unit 2: Topic 6- Body Systems

As you have learned, every cell in the body needs a steady supply of
food and oxygen to give it energy! Three different organ systems must
work together to make this possible.

The Digestive System

Food first enters the body through the _________. It then passes to the
stomach and the intestine.
It is broken down along the way into small, ____________ particles that
can be used by cells. Unused food is expelled from the body as waste.
The organs involved in these processes form the digestive system.
Respiratory System
Breathing in (inhaling) fills our lungs with ___________-containing air.
Breathing out (exhaling) rids our bodies of waste carbon __________.
The organs involved in this gas exchange for the respiratory system.

The Circulatory System

The digestive system puts food into the intestine and the respiratory
system puts oxygen into the __________. How do you think these
particles of food and oxygen eventually get from these systems to cells
in the toes, brain, and other parts of the body??

The circulatory system consists of the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
This system circulates _________ around the body, delivering food
particles, dissolved gases, and other materials to every cell and carrying
away cell ______________.
How the Circulatory System and Respiratory System Connect

These two systems work together in order to connect your cells with the
air that you inhale.

The ___________________ system exchanges oxygen and carbon

dioxide, while the circulatory system transports those gases throughout
the body. The gases pass from one system to the other where the two
systems are in closest contact- among the tissues of the lungs
After air enters the nose, it passes to the lungs through a series of smaller
and smaller tubes. The __________ (windpipe) is about 20 mm across. It
divides into the right and left ______________, each about 12mm
across.

Each bronchus tube branches into thousands of small, narrow

bronchioles, with diameters of 0.5 mm.

Finally, the bronchioles divide and end in millions of tiny air ______
called alveoli, only 0.2mm across.

The circulatory system also involves a series of tubes- the blood vessels.
Blood vessels branch and divide into smaller and smaller channels.
There are three main types of blood vessels:

1) ________- have thick, muscular walls for carrying blood under

pressure

2) ________- have thinner walls than arteries. Valves inside veins

preventing blood from flowing backward

3) ______________- are hair thin vessels. Their walls are made of

epithelial tissue only one cell layer thick
____________ causes oxygen to pass from the alveoli into the
capillaries. The oxygen first dissolved in a thin film of moisture
covering the walls of the alveoli. Then it diffuses from the alveoli to the
thin capillary walls into the bloodstream

Each alveolus is surrounded by a _______ of capillaries. It is here that

gases are exchanged. Oxygen and carbon dioxide pass back and forth
between air in the alveoli (respiratory system) and blood in the
capillaries (circulatory system)

How The Circulatory and Digestive Systems Connect

Your bloodstream also carries food ___________. The transfer of food

and nutrients from the digestive system to the circulatory system
happens in the inner _________ of the small intestine.

Covering the surface of the lining are millions of tiny, fingerlike

projections called ________ (one = villus).
Each villus contains a network of capillaries and this is where dissolved
food particles pass from the intestine to the bloodstream by ________.

The Excretory System

Getting food and _________ to your cells is only half the equation for
good health. Your body must also get rid of wastes. Filtering waste
materials from the blood is the main function of the excretory system.
The key organs in this system are your ____________.
Sensory Awareness Systems

You respond to changes in your environment every day and your body
makes _____________ for you. For example, when you are cold...you
put on a sweater and when you are hungry, you eat.

When you get cold, your body may respond by shivering. Your
quivering muscles generate heat. You may also get _____________ on
your skin. The bumps are produced by the contraction of the small
muscles in the skin that make your hairs stand on end. Animals with lots
of fur fluff up their hair to improve insulation.

When you get hot, your body tries to cool you down. Do you get flushed
and red after exercise? This happens because tiny blood vessels expand
in your skin. This increases blood flow near the body surface, allowing
________ to escape. _____________ also helps cool your body as the
moisture evaporates from your skin surface.

To keep your body _____________ stable, your nerves, muscles, and

blood all function together. Your nervous system monitors conditions
outside of the body through temperature receptors in your skin.

Information from the temperature receptors goes to the heat-regulating

center of your ________ (the hypothalamus). The brain will then send
nerve signals to your muscles, skin, and blood vessels to adjust your
blood flow and muscle activity. In response, your body increases heat
production and reduces heat loss.

Your body's responses to stimuli are co-ordinated by the nervous system

(brain, spinal cord, and nerves) and ___________ system (glands that
produce chemical messengers called hormones).