Organ — Science definition
Defined in 2 courses:
- Different tissues combined to do something none could alone; a stomach needs epithelial, muscle, nervous and connective tissue together. (Life Science & Scientific Inquiry)
- A structure containing several tissues working together. (Life Science: Biology)
Where it is taught
- Levels of Organization: Cells to Organ Systems — Body Organization, Transport & Movement, Life Science & Scientific Inquiry, Grade 7
- Interacting Body Systems — Body Systems, Signals & Homeostasis, Life Science: Biology, Grade 10
In use
The arrangement that makes it work is a hierarchy, and each level is defined by what it contributes rather than by its size: specialised cells of one kind working together form a tissue; different tissues working together form an organ; organs working together form an organ system; and the systems together make the organism.
Levels of Organization: Cells to Organ Systems
Questions using organ
Problem 1
Why is the heart an organ rather than only one tissue?
Answer and explanation
It combines several tissue types that contribute different roles to pumping and maintaining its structure.
Problem 2
Why does naming an organ alone not explain a body function?
Answer and explanation
The mechanism also depends on its tissues, exchange surfaces, transport, and interactions with other systems.