Chapter 12 Flashcards
2 important functions of the human digestive system
- breaking down large food molecules into smaller, usable molecules
- absorbing these smaller molecules
What is each one broken down into? fats starch nucleic acids proteins
glycerol and fatty acids
monosaccharides
nucleotides
amino acids
Vitamins and mineral are small enough to
be absorbed without being digested
3 main characteristics of the digestive tract
- 30 feet long
- made of smooth (involuntary) muscle that pushes food along by a process called peristalsis
- muscles of the tract are controlled by the autonomic nervous system
What begins at the mouth?
mechanical/chemical digestion
What enzyme begins starch digestion? Where is this enzyme?
salivary amylase in saliva
What breaks down food mechanically?
tongue and differently shaped teeth work together
The type of teeth an animal has is a:
Humans are omnivores and have 3 different types of teeth:
reflection of its dietary habits
incisors for cutting, canines for tearing, molars for grinding
What digestion occurs in the esophagus?
none
Food in the esophagus is
directed away from the windpipe by the epiglottis ( a flap of cartilage in the back of the pharynx, throat)
Esophagus transports food from
throat to stomach
Both _____ and ______ digestion occur in the stomach
mechanical and chemical
What begins in the stomach?
protein digestion
What do the stomach’s thick/muscular walls do?
churn food mechanically + secrete gastric juice which contains hydrochloric acid and enzymes that digest proteins
Hydrochloric acid
- begins the breakdown of muscle (meat)
- activates the inactive enzyme pepsinogen to become pepsin, which digests protein
Enzyme ‘rennin’
aids in the digestion of the protein in milk
pH of the stomach
2-3
What does the cardiac sphincter do? Where is it?
located at the top of the stomach
keeps acidified food in the stomach from backing up into the esophagus and burning it
What is the pyloric sphincter?
Where is it?
the bottom of the stomach
keeps food in the stomach long enough to be digested
What can excessive acid in the stomach do?
can cause an ulcer to form in the esophagus, the stomach, or the duodenum ( the upper intestine)
Common cause of ulcers and treatment
bacterium, heliobacter pylori
antibiotics
Small intestine
-all digestion is completed and nutrients are absrobed here
2 characteristics of small intestine
- ph is 8
- 6 meters long
All digestion is completed in the
duodenum, the first 10 inches of the small intestine
The intestinal enzymes are
amylases, proteases, lipases, and nucleases
Pancreatic amylases
digest starch
secreted into the small intestine
Peptidases
- ex. trypsin and chymotrypsin
- continue to break down proteins
Nucleases
hydrolyze nucleic acids into nucleotides
Lipases
break down fats
What lines the small intestine?
villi, millions of them, ‘fingerlike’
-absorb all nutrients that were previously released from digested food
Each villus contains
capillaries, which absorb amino acids, vitamins, and monosaccharides directly into the bloodstream
Each villus also contains a
lacteal, which absorbs fatty acids and glycerol into the lymphatic syste,
Villi have microscopic appendages called
microvilli that further enhance the rate of absorption
liver
produces bile that converts fats
Bile
pH = 11 neutralizes chyme (acidified food from stomach) entering small intestine
Other functions of the liver include
- breaks down food/recycle RBCs
- detoxifies blood-removes alcohol and drugs
- produces cholesterol necessary for structure of cell membranes
- produces the nitrogenous waste urea from protein metabolism
Remember
Bile is not
an enzyme
Gallbladder
- stores bile that is produced in liver
- bile emulsifies fats in small intestine
- body can function well without a gallbladder
2 functions of the pancreas
- produces enzymes that break down carbs (amylases), proteins (peptidases), lipids (lipases), and nucleic acids, and secretes them into the small intestine
- produce sodium bicarbonate
Sodium Bicarbonate
a base that neutralizes stomach acid, enabling intestinal enzymes, which require a basic environment, to be effective
Since the pancreas is part of the endocrine system,
it produces hormones to control blood sugar levels
Large intestine or colon
no digestion occurs here
3 major functions of large intestine or colon
egestion
vitamin production
reabsorption of water
Egestion
removal of undigested waste
Vitamin production
bacteria symbionts living in the colons produce the B vitamins, folic acid, and vitamin K
Reabsorption of water
constipation- too much water is reabsorbed from the intestine into body
diarrhea- an inadequate amount of water is absorbed back into body
Reabsorption of water
constipation- too much water is reabsorbed from the intestine into body
diarrhea- an inadequate amount of water is absorbed back into body
Rectum
egestion- removal of undigested waste
last 7-8 inches of the gastrointestinal tract stores feces until their release through the anus
Rectum
egestion- removal of undigested waste
last 7-8 inches of the gastrointestinal tract stores feces until their release through the anus
Air enters the nasal cavity and is
moistened, warmed, and filtered
Second, air passes through the larynx and
down the trachea and bronchi into the tiniest bronchioles, which end in microscopically tiny air sacs called alveoli
Why do humans have an internal respiratory surface?
because respiratory gases are exchanged deep inside the body
The rib cage _______ and forces the _______ to contract and move ________, thus expanding the ____ _______ and decreasing the _______ _________.
expands diaphragm downward chest cavity internal pressure
Why is air drawn into the lungs by negative pressure?
because the internal pressure inside the chest cavity is lower than the air pressure surrounding the body
What is the medulla’s (brain) role in respiration?
sets the breathing rhythym by monitoring CO2 levels in blood and by sensing changes in the pH of the blood
Blood pH lower than 7.4 triggers
autonomic nerves from the medulla to increase the breathing rate to rid the body of more CO2
The concentration of oxygen in the blood usually has
little effect on the breathing control centers
What is oxygen in the blood carried by? What does it combine with?
by respiratory pigment hemoglobin
combines loosely with oxygen molecules to form molecule oxyhemoglobin
CO2 is the
by-product of cell respiration
CO2 is released from
every cell and dissolves in the blood
CO2 is carried in the plasma as part of the
reversible blood-buffering carbonic acid-bicarbonate ion system
carbonic acid-bicarbonate ion system
maintains blood at a constant pH
human circulation consists of a
closed circulatory system with arteries, veins, and capillaries
Vessel: Artery
Function:
Structure:
carries blood away from the heart under enormous pressure
walls are made of thick layer of elastic, smooth muscle and can withstand high pressure/contract and expand as needed
Vessel: Vein
Function:
Structure:
carries blood back to the heart under very little pressure
-walls don’t contain thick layer of muscle, has valve to help prevent backflow, located within skeletal muscle which propels blood upward and back to heart as the body moves and muscles contract
Vessel: Vein
Function:
Structure:
carries blood back to the heart under very little pressure
-walls don’t contain thick layer of muscle, has valve to help prevent backflow, located within skeletal muscle which propels blood upward and back to heart as the body moves and muscles contract
Vessel: Capillary
Function:
Structure:
allows for diffusion of nutrients and wastes between cells and blood
-blood travels slowly here to allow time for diffusion of nutrients and wastes
Blood consists of
several different cell types suspended in a liquid matrix called plasma
How much blood does the average human body contain?
4-6 liters of blood
Blood clotting
a complex mechanism that begins with the release of clotting factors from platelets and damaged tissue
Anticlotting factors
constantly circulate in the plasma to prevent the formation of a clot or thrombus, which can cause serious damage in the absence of injury
Serum is
plasma minus clotting factors
What’s necessary for normal blood clotting?
calcium
Component: plasma
Scientific name:
Properties:
none
liquid portion of the blood
contains clotting factors, hormones, antibodies, dissolved gases, nutrients, and wastes
90% water
Component: RBCs
Scientific name:
Properties:
erythrocytes carry hemoglobin and oxygen don't have a nucleus live about 120 days formed in the bone marrow and recycled in the liver
Component: White blood cells
Scientific name:
Properties:
leukocytes
fight infection
formed in the bone marrow
die fighting infection and are 1 component of pus
Component: Platelets
Scientific name:
Properties:
thrombocytes
clot blood
cell fragments that are formed in the bone marrow from megakaryocytes
Heart location and size
Beats about
beneath the sternum
size of clenched fist
70 beats per minute and pumps about 5 liters of blood
2 atria
receive blood from the cells of the body and 2 ventricles pump blood out of the heart
SA
sinoatrial node
sets the timing of the contractions of the heart
Electrical impulses travel through the
cardiace and body tissues to the skin
What is the heart’s pacemaker influenced by?
nervous system
hormones such as adrenaline and body temperature
Blood pressure is lowest in the
veins and highest in the arteries when the ventricle contract
Systolic number (120)
is a measurement of the pressure when the ventricle contract
Diastolic (80)
a measure of the pressure when the heart relaxes
Pathway of blood
blood enter the heart through the vena cava and continues to the
- right atrium
- right atrioventricular (AV) valve or tricuspid valve
- right ventricle
- pulmonary semilunar valve
- pulmonary artery
- lungs
- pulmonary vein
- left atrium
- left atrioventricular (AV) valve or bicuspid valve
- left ventricle
- aortic semilunar valve
- aorta
- to all the cells in the body
- returns to the heart through the vena cava
Blood circulates through the
coronary circulation (heart), renal circulation (kidneys), and the hepatic circulation (liver)