orgaanniveau

Orgaanniveau is a level of biological organization that describes organs as discrete, structurally integrated units that perform specific physiological functions. At this level, tissues such as epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissue combine to form an organ, which can carry out a coordinated task that individual cells cannot achieve alone. Examples include the heart, which uses cardiac muscle tissue, connective tissue, and nerves to pump blood; the liver, which metabolizes substances; and plant organs such as leaves, roots, and stems that perform photosynthesis, storage, and transport.

Organs rarely act in isolation; they form organ systems that coordinate to maintain homeostasis and enable growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli. The orgaanniveau sits between the tissue level and the level of the whole organism in organisms with organ systems. In plants, the same concept applies, with organs like roots, stems, and leaves participating in processes essential to the plant’s life.

The concept is widely used in biology education to illustrate emergent properties: the function of an organ arises from the integrated activity of its tissues, and this integration enables coordinated biological functions that make up an organism’s physiology.