System | Major Organs or Tissues | Primary functions |
---|---|---|
Circulatory | Heart, blood vessels, blood | Transport of blood throughout the body's tissues |
Digestive | Mouth, salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, large and small intestines, pancreas, liver, gallbladder | Digestion and absorption of nutrients and water; elimination of wastes |
Endocrine | All glands or organs secreting hormones: Pancreas, testes, ovaries, hypothalamus, kidneys, pituitary,thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, intestinal, thymus, heart, and pineal, and endocrine cells in other locations | Regulation and coordination of many activities in the body, including growth, metabolism, reproduction, blood pressure, electrolyte balance, and others |
Immune | White blood cells, spleen, thymus | Defense against pathogens |
Lymphatic | Lymph vessels, lymph nodes | Collects extracellular fluid for return to circulation; participate in immune defenses |
Integumentary | Skin | Protection against injury and dehydration; defense against pathogens; regulation of body temperature |
Musculoskeletal | Cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons, joints, skeletal muscle | Support, protection, and movement of the body; production of blood cells |
Nervous | Brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and ganglia, sense organs | Regulation and coordination of many activities in the body; detection of changes in the internal and external environments; states of consciousness; learning; cognition |
Respiratory | Nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs | Exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen; regulation of hydrogen ion concentration |
Urinary | Kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra | Regulation of plasma composition through controlled excretion of salts, water, and organic wastes |
Reproductive | Male: Testes, penis, and associated ducts and glands. Female: Ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, mammary glands. |
Production of sperm; transfer of sperm to female, Production of eggs; provision of a nutritive environment for the developing embryo and fetus; nutrition of the infant. |