Digestion in carnivores, herbivores and omnivores

Question 1

Define Carnivore

Answer 1

organisms that kills and eats animals. E.g. dingo, fox and eagle

Question 2

Define Herbivore

Answer 2

organism that eats living plants or parts of them. e.g. cow, rabbit

Question 3

Define Omnivore

Answer 3

organism that eats both plants and animals. E.g. human, pigs

Question 4

Define Ingestion

Answer 4

The intake of food, liquid or drugs into the mouth or oral cavity.

Question 5

Define Digestion

Answer 5

The chemical breakdown (enzymic) and mechanical (physical) breakdown of food into small molecules that can be absorbed by into the body.

Question 6

Define Egestion/Elimination

Answer 6

The removal of undigested remains of food eaten

Question 7

Define Physical digestion

Answer 7

Mechanical digestion: large pieces of food are broken down into smaller pieces of food. Chewing or grinding action of the stomach. Results in increasing the surface area of food for enzymes to act upon.

Question 8

Define chemical digestion

Answer 8

enzymes break down complex food substances into simple sub units such as glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol.

Question 9

What are 6 nutrients required by animals?

Answer 9

Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fats and lipids
Vitamins e.g. Vitamin A is required for growth, skin 	and eyesight.
Minerals
Water

Question 10

What are the minerals required in animals?

Answer 10

inorganic elements e.g. calcium is required for bone growth and maintenance, Iron is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen as haemoglobin.

Question 11

What are 3 adaptations associated with ingestion?

Answer 11

Organisms choosing suitable foods for ingestion.

Mouth parts that assist in feeding behaviours e.g. mosquito.

Other physical features that may assist with catching food and feeding e.g. talons (eagle), body built for speed (cheetah), clasping legs (head lice).

Question 12

What are 3 adaptations associated with digestion?

Answer 12

The structure/shape and number of an animals teeth.

Structure of the alimentary tract

Indicate the foods an animal can digest.

Question 13

What kind of teeth do omnivores have?

Answer 13

Teeth
4 incisors for biting/cutting
2 canines similar to incisors
4 Premolars for grinding and chewing
6 Molars for chewing

Question 14

Describe three factors of the alimentary tract of an omnivore?

Answer 14

Short simple alimentary canal.
Reduced caecum.
Inability to digest cellulose. Cellulose contributes to the fibre and undigested food products that make up faeces.

Question 15

What kind of teeth do carnivores have?

Answer 15

Large canines for piercing and tearing
Premolars and molars have sharp points.
No flat surfaces for grinding food

Question 16

Describe 5 factors of the short simple digestive system of carnivores

Answer 16

short small intestine, short colon and small caecum. Stomach can expand greatly.
All enzymes for the complete digestion of meat/protein are produced by the gut.

Question 17

Describe how herbivores digest plant matter

Answer 17

Eat plant matter which contains cellulose.

Herbivores do not produce the enzyme to digest cellulose.

Question 18

Describe the process of fermentation in animals

Answer 18

Bacteria live in the gut and convert cellulose into simpler molecules that herbivores can absorb.
This process is called fermentation

Question 19

Where are the 2 places that fermentation occurs in 2 different herbivores?

Answer 19

Foregut fermentation = Ruminant (cow, sheep)
Hindgut fermentation = Rabbit, guinea pigs
etc

Question 20

What types of teeth do ruminant herbivores have?

Answer 20

Teeth – some ruminants( e.g. sheep) have no upper incisors or canines as not needed.

Question 21

Describe 5 factors of the alimentary tract in ruminants.

Answer 21

Long intestinal tract with very large caecum and appendix.
Large foregut = stomach
Stomach has 4 chambers: rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum.

Question 22

Where do the 6 step for the process of cellulose digestion occur? In order

Answer 22

Mouth
Rumen 
Reticulum
Omasum
Abomasum
Duodenum

Question 23

What occurs in the first step of cellulose digestion in the mouth?

Answer 23

grass is chewed and mixed with saliva into a ‘cud’ and swallowed.

Question 24

What occurs in the second step of cellulose digestion in the Rumen?

• Fermentation
• Absorption
• Belch
• bacteria

Answer 24

cud is mixed with cellulose digesting bacteria to produce glucose, which is fermented to organic acids.

These are absorbed into the blood.

CO2 and methane are belched out.

Bacteria manufacture protein from inorganic nitrogen.

Question 25

What occurs in the third step of cellulose digestion in the Reticulum?

• Regurgitation

Answer 25

cud is formed into balls and regurgitated into the mouth for further chewing before being re swallowed and passing into the omasum.

Question 26

What occurs in the fourth step of cellulose digestion in the Omasum?

Answer 26

much water is reabsorbed from the cud.

Question 27

What occurs in the fifth step of cellulose digestion in the Abomasum?

Answer 27

normal gastric secretions begin to digest proteins from the grass and bacteria.

Question 28

What occurs in the sixth step of cellulose digestion in the Duodenum?

Answer 28

chyme passes into here and then into the small intestine where the products of digestion are absorbed.

Question 29

What kind of teeth do non-ruminant herbivores have?

Answer 29

Sharp incisors and no canines.

Question 30

What are the 4 factors non-ruminants have for their alimentary tract?

Answer 30

Long intestinal tract with large hind gut.

Large caecum and appendix for fermentation

Question 31

How do non-ruminants absorbed their foods?

rabbits 💩

Answer 31

Re eats soft faecal pellets so all nutrients have been digested and absorbed. Then passes hard, dry faeces.

Question 32

Define Absorption

Answer 32

the taking up of digestive molecules into the internal environment of the cells of the digestive tract