Key Concepts

The musculoskeletal system, also known as the locomotor system, is composed of the muscular system and
the skeletal system.

The skeletal system gives shape and support to the body.

Some parts of the skeletal system protect delicate organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, and others. Some
parts make the body move.

All the muscles in the body make up the muscular system.

There are three kinds of muscles.
a. Skeletal muscles are attached to the bones and enable the body to move. They are called voluntary
muscles because their movements can be consciously controlled.
b. Smooth muscles are found In the internal organs such as the stomach and intestines.
c. Cardiac muscles are found only in the heart and contract rhythmically.

A joint is a point where two or more bones meet. Joints may be fixed or movable.

The integumentary system is composed of coverings for the body that includes the largest organ in the body
which is the skin. Other than the skin, the nails and hairs, which are extensions of the skin, are considered as
integumentary system organs. All these structures together provide protection to the inner tissues of the
body.

The digestive system carries out the process of digestion. The digestive tract or alimentary canal consists of
the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and the Intestines.

Digestion is the process wherein food is changed into simpler substances that the body cells can use.

The respiratory system consists of an upper and lower tract.

The upper tract is made up of the nose, nasal cavity, and pharynx.
The lower tract is made up of the larynx trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and lungs.
The main function of the respiratory system is to allow breathing.

Breathing is the taking in and out of air. During breathing, the body takes in oxygen and gets rid of carbon
dioxide.

The circulatory system consists of the heart, the blood, and the blood vessels.

The circulatory system transports nutrients and oxygen to all the body cells. It collects and cares away
wastes from the body cells.

The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, and spinal nerves.

The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system, while
all the neurons outside the central nervous system make up the peripheral nervous system.

The two major groups of animals are those with backbone or the vertebrates,

and those without backbone of the Invertebrates

Among the vertebrates are the fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Among the invertebrates are the sponges. worms, mollusks, echinoderms, and arthropods. scnidarians of
coelenterates.

There are two main groups of nonflowering plants-plants that use spores to reproduce and plants that use
exposed or naked seeds or cones to reproduce.

Nonflowering plants that use naked or exposed seeds for propagation are called gymnosperms.

An ecosystem is a specific place where living things interact with nonliving things

A tropical rain forest, a coral reef, and a mangrove swamp are examples of an ecosystern

Forests are likened to lungs because they supply the earth with oxygen just as your lungs enable your body
to get oxygen. Without oxygen, you cannot live. Without forests, there would be less oxygen in the air.

Coral reefs serve as breeding places for fish and other marine animals,

Mangroves are plants living in the tidal coastal areas between the sea and land. They are vital parts of
coastal and marine ecosystems.

Definition of Terms
alveoli- balloon-like sacs in the lungs where oxygen from the air and carbon dioxide in the blood are
exchanged

amphibians - animals that can live both on land and in water appendicular skeleton-bones that are
attached to the axial skeleton

arachnids -arthropods with two-part bodies and four pairs of legs

arteries-blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart axial

skeleton -consists of bones of the head and

trunk backbone - a stack of irregularly-shaped bones called vertebrae that protects the spinal cord

bile -a substance produced by the liver that helps in the digestion of fats

bladder - a muscular sac that stores urine before it is expelled

bone marrow - tissue inside the bone where red and white blood cells are produced

brain stem - the lowest section of the brain which connects it to the spinal cord and acts as a pathway for
messages traveling between some parts of the brain and the spinal cord

canopy -the top layer of spreading branches of trees

capillaries - tiny blood vessels that form a network throughout the body's organs and tissues

cartilage -fibrous connective tissue that serves as cushion between two bones

central nervous system (CNS)-consist of the brain and the spinal cord; receives and sorts out Information
coming from the inside of the body and the environment, and determines the appropriate action
circulatory system-body system that consists of the heart, the blood, and the bloodvessels

cloning - production of an identical copy of a living thing through the manipulation of cells

cnidarians -radially symmetrical aquatic invertebrates with soft bodies and tentacles

commensalism - the relationship between two organisms wherein one organism benefits, while the other
remains unaffected

competition -the relationship wherein two or more organisms compete for the same resources in the
environment

complete metamorphosis -development of an insect from an egg to a larva to a pupa to finaly an adut

conifers -plants that produce cones

crustaceans -amhropods with exoskeletons and five pairs of legs deforestation - the destruction of the
forests

dispersal -spreading or scattering to other places, such as in seeds

echinoderms - symmetrical aquatic invertebrates with spiny outer skeletons

ecology -the study of the relationships among plants, animals and other organisms and their
environment

ecosystem -a specific area where the biotic (iving) and abiotic (noniving) factors interact with one
another

embryo -a baby plant or animal endosperm- the food supply of a seed

epiphytes -plants that live upon other plants such as cechids

equator - imaginary line that divides the earth into the northerm and southern hemispheres

extinct -the state wherein the species of plant or animal no longer exist

fertilization - the process where a sperm cell unites with an egg cell fetus-the embryo after nine weeks

gymnosperms - plants that use cones for reproduction and produce uncovered seeds

invertebrates -animals that do not have backbones

joint - the point where two bones meet

kidneys - the main organs of the urinary system that filter the blood of waste and transform it into
urine

landslide - the rapid downward movement of rocks and soil on a mountainside or hillside

mammals -endothermic vertebrates that are covered with hair and feed their young with milk
marsupials -mammals that bear their young before their development is complete and continue their
development in their mother's pouch called the marsuplum

mechanical digestion - the breaking down of food into chewable pieces

metamorphosis - the process by which an animal changes in form as it undergoes the different stages
of its life cycle

mollusks -bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates with soft bodies; most have shells live in water

mutualism - the relationship wherein both organisms benefit from one another

neuron-nerve cell, the basic unit of structure and function of the nervous system

parasitism - the relationship wherein one kind of organism feeds on another kind of organism without killing
it

peripheral nervous system (PNS) - made up of nerves that extend throughout the body; facilitates
communication between the CNS and the body tissues

placenta - the part where the embryo gets its food from its mother's blood

radially symmetrical - bodies that can be divided into two equal parts by cutting through the center in any
direction

sensory receptors - special cells of sense organs that receive stimuli from the environment

sponges - radially symmetrical aquatic invertebrates with bodies full of pores

stimulus-environmental information that produces responses from the body

symbiosis-the "iving together relationship of two organisms

tendons - bundles of tough fibers that attach muscles to bones

velns-blood vessels that carry blood to the heart

vertebrae - integularly shaped bones that make up the backbone

vertebrates-animals that have backbones