Human & Plant Physiology

Introduction to human & plant physiology

Human & plant physiology is the study of how living beings normally work. It is a branch of biology that studies anatomy, biological molecules, cells, organs and how they interact to allow life to exist. In some ways, the study of physiology is the study of life. It asks questions about organisms’ internal workings and how they interact with the environment.

Human physiology 

The human body is a complicated and intricate engineering marvel in which each structure serves a specific purpose. There are 206 bones, 650 muscles and 79 organs in the human body. The cell is the most fundamental unit of life. There are numerous cells in the human body. A tissue comprises several cells that come together to form a whole. Many similar parts come together to form an organ. Many organs constitute an organ system, and it runs a living being.

Structure of the human body & parts

The human body comprises billions of tiny structures that fall into four categories, even though one structure.

• Cells: Cells are the basic unit of the human body and make up all living things. They are usually tiny and cannot be seen without a microscope.
• Tissues: A tissue is a collection of numerous comparable cells joined together by various nonliving intercellular materials found in varying volumes and types.
• Organs: An organ is a collection of distinct tissues that, when joined, perform a particular function.
• System: Various organs of various sizes and types are grouped to execute specific tasks for the whole body as a system.

The term “body functions” refers to the body’s physiological and psychological processes. The body can only exist if it can keep its internal environment stable and sustain or recover homeostasis.

Circulatory system 

The human body’s circulatory system consists of a network of blood and lymphatic vessels. As the heart pumps blood throughout the body, the circulatory system transports oxygen, hormones, and other vital nutrients.

Respiratory system 

The respiratory system consists of the lungs, pulmonary veins, and respiratory muscles. It delivers oxygen-rich blood to the body’s cells and removes waste gases.

Digestive system 

A biological digestion process takes place inside our digestive system, allowing the body to extract essential nutrients from the food we eat. The oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreatic and intestines form a tube-like organ system to accomplish this. The digestive processes are intake, movement, digestion, assimilation and excretion. 

These organs produce digestive fluids and enzymes that aid the body in the digestion of food and liquids, including the salivary glands, the liver, gallbladder and pancreas.

Skeletal system 

All of the body’s vital functions are supported and protected by its skeletal system. In addition to making blood cells and storing minerals, the human body’s 206 bones also secrete hormones and release essential minerals.

Muscular system 

To maintain proper posture and create heat through cell metabolism, all muscles in the muscular system must contract constantly.

The muscular system is made of specialised cells called muscle fibres. Their primary role is to allow contraction. The power to move comes from the muscles linked to the bones or internal organs and blood vessels. Nearly all motion in the human body is the consequence of muscular contractions.

Nervous system 

The nervous system can facilitate all of our senses, comprehension and reactions. For example, respiration and digestion are two bodily processes regulated by our neurological system.

Urinary system 

This system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, removes water from the blood, creates urine, and transports waste away from the body.

The reproductive system 

All of the cells, glands, and organs that play a role in developing progeny are parts of the reproductive system. The ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix and vagina, comprise the female reproductive system. The prostate, testes, and penis are all included in the male reproductive system.

Endocrine system

Complex glands and organs form the endocrine system. It employs hormones to regulate digestion, energy expenditure, procreation, development and response to trauma, anxiety, and emotions. The key endocrine glands —the adrenals, gonads, pancreas, parathyroids, pituitary and thyroid—are a significant focus of attention, although endocrine hormones are released by practically all organs, including the brain.

Plant physiology 

Plant physiology is a botany discipline that studies plants’ physiological processes and functions. It is a descriptive study of plant variation and structure at the cellular and molecular levels that leads to ecological, physiological and biochemistry-related elements of plant investigation.

Plant physiology is the study of plant structures and how they work. It allows researchers to examine plant processes like mineral nutrition, photosynthesis, respiration, transportation, and, eventually, plant development and growth, all of which are qualities expressed by living organisms.

Parts of plants 

• Leaves

The plant’s leaves are an important organ. They are the primary photosynthetic centres and come in various forms and sizes

• Stem

The plant’s stem offers support and structure. They conduct a variety of critical roles, including plant development, competition, and survival in many settings. Various species have different stem structures.

• Roots

The plant’s roots are underground parts that take water and nutrients from the soil. As a result, they are an essential component of the plant.

• Xylem and phloem

The plant’s vascular tissues are made up of these xylems and phloem. These are also referred to as sap. Water, carbohydrates, and other vital nutrients are transported between the roots, stem, and leaves through them.

Functions of plants

• Transportation In Plants

Through transportation, xylem and phloem assist in moving nutrients and water from the roots to all areas of the plant. Water and nutrient transport in rooted plants can be unidirectional or multidirectional. Passive modes of movement occur by diffusion, specifically assisted distribution, or active modes of transportation are carried out by particular membrane proteins known as pumps.

Because water is vital in carrying out physiological functions, it is critical to comprehend the significance of plant-water interactions. Through terminologies like Solute potential and Pressure potential, the concept of water potential aids in understanding water movement. Osmosis occurs at the cellular level in plants, allowing molecules to pass in and out of the cells. Another important part of a plant’s life cycle is transpiration.

• Photosynthesis in plants

Autotrophs are plants that synthesise their sustenance through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is critical because it provides food for all living things on the planet and releases oxygen into the atmosphere, which we inhale to breathe.

It occurs in chloroplasts and involves four pigments: chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, Xanthophyll, and carotenoids, used in light and dark reactions. Phosphorylation is extracting energy from oxidisable compounds and storing it as bond energy.

• Respiration in plants

Photosynthesis provides food for living activities since cellular respiration releases energy for the synthesis of ATP, which entails glycolysis. Aerobic respiration, widespread in higher organisms, results in the complete oxidation of organic molecules in oxygen.

The electron transport system and oxidative phosphorylation are used to liberate and use the energy stored in molecules. The respiratory quotient is another crucial element of respiration. The respiratory quotient is calculated by dividing the volume of carbon dioxide exhaled by the oxygen consumed.

Conclusion 

In this chapter, we discussed human & plant physiology, the parts of human and plant physiology, functions of plants, parts of plants, plant physiology, and other related topics. It gave us a clear idea of how humans and plants function. Although human physiology is complex, plant physiology includes many processes and functions which are unique to them only. Also, we can see the difference between some functions of both humans and plants, like respiration. As mentioned before, physiology is the study of life, and we can learn a lot about organisms around us through physiology.