Systems Integration and Homeostasis

This unit investigates cellular processes and the major organ systems—integumentary, skeletal (axial and appendicular), nervous (CNS and PNS), immune, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and reproductive—emphasizing how structure supports function. Students analyze system interactions that maintain homeostasis and prepare to apply clinical reasoning and patient-care concepts in the following unit.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze cellular processes including metabolism, enzyme function, ATP production, and cell division, and explain how these processes support organ-system function such as digestion and energy homeostasis
• Apply anatomical knowledge to identify and describe the major bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton and the functions of the integumentary system in protection, thermoregulation, and sensory reception
• Demonstrate understanding of the central and peripheral nervous systems by comparing their structures and functions, tracing basic sensory and motor pathways, and relating neural control to musculoskeletal movement and reflexes
• Evaluate the integrated roles of adaptive immunity, respiration, circulation, digestion, and reproduction (including labor and delivery) by interpreting clinical scenarios and predicting physiological responses that maintain homeostasis