Video Transcript
Which of the following is part of more than one organ system? (A) The liver. (B) The lungs. (C) Both the liver and the lungs belong to only one organ system each. (D) Both the liver and the lungs.
This question is asking us about organ systems which are made up of several different
organs that work together to perform biological functions. The most common ones you might think of include the digestive system, which works to
break down and absorb nutrients from food; the nervous system, which transmits
electrical signals; and the circulatory system, which pumps blood throughout the
entire body. Some organs actually belong to more than one organ system. Let’s discuss the liver and the lungs since these are the organs involved in our
question to see if they belong to more than one organ system.
The liver is a large, lobed organ that is about the size of a football in most grown
adults. This organ produces bile, which helps to break down fats from food in the
stomach. Therefore, the liver is considered an accessory organ of the digestive system. The liver is also responsible for detoxification of harmful molecules in the
body. For example, ammonia that’s produced from amino acid metabolism is toxic and can be
converted into urea by the liver. This makes it part of the excretory system. So the liver is involved in two organ systems.
The lungs also play a role in the excretory system because they get rid of carbon
dioxide and water that are waste products produced by the body. In addition, the lungs serve a central role in the respiratory system and are
responsible for obtaining oxygen from the air we breathe. Oxygen is necessary for life because it’s used during cellular respiration to extract
energy from the food we eat. So, like the liver, the lungs are also involved in two organ systems.
Getting back to our question, the option that correctly identifies the organs
involved in more than one organ system is given by answer choice (D), both the liver
and the lungs.
