The Alimentary Canal

• what is the alimentary canal?


  it is another name for your gut

  it runs through your body
• Mouth/Teeth - Functions

  • salivary glands in the mouth produce amylase enzyme in the saliva
  • teeth break down food - smaller pieces so overall larger surface area for the chemical reactions in the stomach
• Oesophagus - Function

  muscular tube that connects the mouth and stomach
• Stomach - Functions


  • It pummels the food with its muscular walls
  • It produces the protease enzyme, pepsin
  • It produces hydrchloric acid for two reasons :
  • to kill bacterias
  • to give the optimun pH for the protease enzyme to work (ph 2 - acidic)
• Liver - Function


  where bile is produced
• Pancrease - Function

  • produces protease, amylase and lipase enzymes
  • It releases these into the small intestine
• Gall Bladder - Function


  where bile is stored
• Small Intestine - Function + Parts


  • produces, amylase and lipase enzymes to complete digestion
  • this is also weher the nutrients are absorbed out of the alimentary canal into the body
  • the first part is the duodenum and the last part is the illeum
• Large Intestine - Function


  • also called the colon
  • where excess water is absorbed from the food
• Rectum - Function

  • the last part of the large intestine
  • where the faeces (made up of indigestible food) are stored before they excreted from the body through the anus
• Villi in the small intestine - Function


  help with absorbtion
• how is the small intestine adapted for absorption of food


  • very long - lots of time to breakdown and absorb all the wanted food before it reaches the end
  • large surface area - for absorption to occur - this is beacuse the lining of the small intestine is covered in villi
• how are villi adapted for absorption of food?


  • each villi have microvilli on each cell on the surface - increased surface area
  • have a single permeable layer of surface cells - one cell thick - assist quick absorption
  • have a very good blood supply - large network of blood capillaries - assists quick absorption