digestive system

    Cards (55)

    • What do bile salts such as sodium hydrogen carbonate do?
      They emulsify fats and help neutralize acid from the stomach.
    • What is an omnivore?
      An animal that eats both meat and plants.
    • What does the term heterotrophic mean?
      An organism that cannot make its own food.
    • What is meant by a balanced diet?
      Eating the correct amounts of each food type.
    • What are two glands in the alimentary canal and their products?
      • Liver: secretes bile
      • Salivary glands: secrete amylase
      • Pancreas: secretes pancreatic juice
    • Name two parts of the small intestine.
      Duodenum and ileum.
    • Name two parts of the large intestine.
      Colon and caecum.
    • What is symbiosis?
      Where two organisms of different species live close to one another where at least one benefits.
    • Give an example of symbiosis in the human digestive system.
      Bacteria in the large intestine that produce vitamins.
    • What are two advantages of symbiosis to humans?
      Produce vitamins and provide competition against pathogenic bacteria.
    • What is lipase and where is it secreted?
      It is an enzyme that acts on lipids, secreted by the pancreas.
    • What is the pH of the site of action for lipase?
      It acts in the duodenum, where the pH is neutral.
    • What is the human dental formula for an adult?
      2 I 2 C 1 PM 2 M 3 = 32 teeth.
    • What is the difference between the teeth of carnivores and herbivores?
      Carnivores have more or longer canines, while herbivores have less canines and more molars for crushing plants.
    • What are two functions of the large intestine?
      To make vitamins B & K and to reabsorb water.
    • What process results from the contraction of muscle tissue in the intestine?
      Peristalsis.
    • What type of muscle makes up the digestive system organs?
      Smooth muscle.
    • Where in the human alimentary canal is most water reabsorbed?
      In the colon/large intestine.
    • What is digestion?
      The breakdown of food into smaller soluble particles.
    • Why is digestion necessary?
      To make the food particles soluble for transport in blood.
    • Distinguish between mechanical and chemical digestion.
      Mechanical is the physical breakdown of food, while chemical is the breakdown using enzymes.
    • State three functions of the liver.
      To store glycogen, produce bile, and detoxify the body.
    • What is one digestive function of the pancreas?
      To produce enzymes (lipase and amylase) and secrete sodium hydrogen carbonate to neutralize stomach acid.
    • Where do both the pancreas and liver secrete their products?
      Into the duodenum.
    • Where is bile stored?
      In the gall bladder.
    • Describe the relationship between the liver, small intestine, and the hepatic portal vein.
      • The liver produces bile and processes nutrients.
      • The small intestine absorbs nutrients.
      • The hepatic portal vein carries nutrients from the small intestine to the liver.
    • Where is the liver located in relation to the stomach?
      Above the stomach in the upper abdomen.
    • Where is amylase produced in the human alimentary canal?
      In the salivary glands and pancreas.
    • What is the function of HCl in the stomach?
      To kill microorganisms and lower the pH to activate pepsinogen into pepsin.
    • What does pepsin do?
      It acts on proteins to form peptides.
    • What process is involved in the passage of the products of digestion into the blood?
      Diffusion.
    • How is the ileum adapted for the absorption of nutrients?
      It has a large surface area, is one cell thick, and has microvilli present.
    • What food is mostly absorbed by the lacteal?
      Fats.
    • Where do the fats absorbed by the lacteal travel to?
      To the lymphatic system.
    • What is peristalsis and where does it occur?
      It is the alternate contraction of muscles, occurring in the esophagus and small intestines.
    • Why is a low pH important in the stomach?
      To denature enzymes in microorganisms and activate pepsinogen.
    • What is nutrition?
      • The process by which an organism obtains and uses its food.
      • Involves digestion and absorption of nutrients.
    • What are the two types of digestion?
      • Mechanical digestion: Physical breakdown of food.
      • Chemical digestion: Breakdown of food using enzymes.
    • What are the functions of the stomach?
      • Physical digestion: Churning of food.
      • Chemical digestion: Hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen, and mucous.
    • What is gastric juice?
      It is the mixture of hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen, and mucous with dissolved food.