Digestion of ruminants and carnivores Flashcards
What are the defining features of Carnivores?
Heavy skulls with strong facial musculature
Sharp angled mandible and tight TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint)
Enlarged canines
Carnassial teeth
Don’t produce salivary amylase
What are the three types of Carnivores?
Hypercarnivores (more than 70% meat)
Mesocarnivores (50-70% meat)
Hypocarnivores (less than 30% meat)
What is the definition of Ruminants?
Ruminants are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that get their nutrients from plant-based food. e.g cows
What is the unique digestive feature of ruminants?
Urea is used to produce proteins (non-protein nitrogen).
What are the four chambers of a cows stomach?
- Rumen – fermentation vat
- Reticulum - allows food to be passed back up to mouth or onto omasum
- Omasum - absorbs water and products of microbial digestion
- Abomasum - similar to non ruminant stomach
Where do coprophages get their protein from?
caecotrophs(poop with a lot of protein in)
What is the structure of the Human Gut Anatomy?
- Oral cavity,
- stomach,
- small intestine,
- large intestine.
What are the four layers of the oesophagus?
- Adventitia,
- Muscle layer,
- Submucosa,
- Mucosa.
What is the mechanical/chemical digestion of the oral cavity?
Chemical - breakdown of carbohydrates and fat by amylase
Mechanical - chewing and munching
What is the mechanical/chemical digestion of the stomach?
Chemical digestion - hydrocholoric acid breakdown off proteins and carbs
Mechanical digestion - peristaltic mixing and propulsion
What is the mechanical/chemical digestion of the small intestine ?
Chemical digestion - absorption of peptides, amino acids
Mechanic digestion - mixing and propulsion segmentation
What is the mechanical/chemical digestion of the large intestine?
Chemical digestion - no chemical digestion
Mechanical digestion - segmental mixing and propulsion
