Digestive System

• Teeth: begin mechanical digestion
• Tongue: moves food around in mouth and houses taste buds
• Uvula: prevents food from moving into throat and nasal cavity before swallowing
• Saliva: moistens food in mouth, begins chemical digestion in the mouth
• Bolus: mass of food chewed up to be swallowed
• Esophagus: connects the pharynx to the stomach
• Peristalsis: contractions of muscle in wave motion to move food down
• Stomach: gastric juices released to aid in further digestion, muscles relax and contract to churn stomach contents
• Chyme: thick liquid consisted of digested food and gastric juices
• Cardiac Sphincter: muscular valve that connects the esophagus to the stomach and prevents backflow
• Pyloric Sphincter: muscular valve at the end of the stomach that prevents food from getting out
• Duodenum: chemical digestion of chyme, and bile mixes here
• Jejunum: lining is specialized for absorbing
• Ileum: absorbs what is left over and pushes undigested food into the large intestine
• Villi: tiny finger like projections that increase surface area
• Microvilli: smaller projections in the surface of villi that further increase surface area
• Large Intestine: absorbs 90% of water, uses bacteria to help digest, leftover material is now feces and pushed to rectum
• Cecum: beginning of the large intestine
• Appendix: finger like projection off of the cecum
• Rectum: stores waste before it is eliminated
• Anus: opening that excretes the waste
• Liver: produces bile and acts as and emulsifying agent
• Gallbladder: stores bile produced by liver and releases into small intestine
• Pancreas: produces hormones like insulin, and enzymes for digestion