In biology and anatomy, an organ (Latin: organum, "instrument, tool", from Greek όργανον - organon, "organ, instrument, tool") is a tissue that performs a specific function or group of functions within an organism.
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In biology and anatomy, an organ (Latin: organum, "instrument, tool", from Greek όργανον - organon, "organ, instrument, tool") is a tissue that performs a specific function or group of functions within an organism.
Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues. The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are the nerves, blood, connective etc.. Functionally related organs often cooperate to form whole organ systems. Organs exist in all higher biological organisms, in particular they are not restricted to animals, but can also be identified in plants. In single-cell organisms like bacteria, the functional analogues of organs are called organelles.
Organ systems
main: Biological system A group of related organs is an organ system. Organs within a system may be related in any number of ways, but relationships of function are most commonly used. For example the urinary system comprises organs that work together to produce, store, and carry urine.
The functions of organ systems often share significant overlap. For instance, the nervous and endocrine system both operate via a shared organ, the hypothalamus. For this reason, the two systems are combined and studied as the neuroendocrine system. The same is true for the musculoskeletal system, which involves the relationship between the muscular and the skeletal system.
Plant organs and organ systems
The vegetative organs are essential for maintaining the life of a plant (they perform the vital functions, such as photosynthesis), while the reproductive organs are essential in reproduction. But, if there is asexual vegetative reproduction, the vegetative organs are those which create the new generation of plants (see clonal colony).
The two main organ systems in vascular plants are the root system and the shoot system.
Animal organs and organ systems
The organ level of organisation in animals can be first detected in flatworms and the more advanced phyla. The less-advanced taxons (like Placozoa, Porifera and Radiata) do not show consolidation of their tissues into organs.
Organs and organ systems in invertebrates
List of major human organ systems
There are typically considered to be eleven major organ systems of the human body.
Humans have a variety of systems due to the complexity of the species' organism. These specific systems are widely studied in Human anatomy. "Human" systems are also present in many animals.
