Key points
Humans—and other complex multicellular organisms—have systems of organs that work together, carrying out processes that keep us alive.
The body has levels of organization that build on each other. Cells make up tissues, tissues make up organs, and organs make up organ systems.
The function of an organ system depends on the integrated activity of its organs. For instance, digestive system organs cooperate to process food.
The survival of the organism depends on the integrated activity of all the organ systems, often coordinated by the endocrine and nervous systems.
Introduction
If you were a single-celled organism and you lived in a nutrient-rich place, staying alive would be pretty straightforward. For instance, if you were an amoeba living in a pond, you could absorb nutrients straight from your environment. The oxygen you would need for metabolism could diffuse in across your cell membrane, and carbon dioxide and other wastes could diffuse out. When the time came to reproduce, you could just divide yourself in two!
However, odds are you are not an amoeba—given that you're using Khan Academy right now—and things aren’t quite so simple for big, many-celled organisms like human beings. Your complex body has over 30 trillion cells, and most of those cells aren’t in direct contact with the external environment.^11start superscript, 1, end superscript A cell deep inside your body—in one of your bones, say, or in your liver—can’t get the nutrients or oxygen it needs directly from the environment.
How, then, does the body nourish its cells and keep itself running? Let's take a closer look at how the organization of your amazing body makes this possible.
I hope it helps you ✌
