Digestive System Flashcards
What is the function of the mouth (buccal cavity)?
To chew and eat food
Mix with saliva - has enzymes
What is the function of the salivary glands?
Releases saliva - has enzymes
Breaks stuff down
What is the function of the epiglottis?
Stops air going down oesophagus and food going down your trachea
What is the function of the oesophagus?
Muscular tube
What is the function of the stomach?
Muscular bag
Contains acid and enzymes
Mixes food with acid - kills bacteria
Breaks food up
What is the function of the small intestine?
Helps to further digest food coming from the stomach
What is the function of the liver?
Breaks down, balances and creates nutrients
What is the function of the pancreas?
During digestion, it makes pancreatic juices called enzymes - breaks down sugars, fats and starches
What is the function of the gallbladder?
Stores bile - helps your digestive system break down fats
What is the function of bile duct?
Allows bile to go from the liver and gallbladder into the small intestine
What is the function of pancreatic duct?
Aids in digestion
What is the function of the large intestine?
Absorbing water and electrolytes
Producing and absorbing vitamins
Forming and propelling faeces towards the rectum for elimination
What is the function of the rectum?
Receive stool from the colon
Let you know there is stool to be eliminated
Hold the stool until elimination happens
What is the function of the anus?
Opening at the far end of the digestive tract where stool leaves the body
Lets you know whether contents are liquid, gas or solid
What is mechanical digestion?
Makes food particles smaller (easier for enzymes to break down)
Buccal cavity (teeth and tongue chop, churn and chew food)
Muscular stomach wall churns food which makes pieces smaller, creating chyme
Pulverised food has more surface area for chemical digestion
What is chemical digestion?
Enzymes are specialised proteins that chemically digest nutrients into smaller soluble units
In mouth enzymes in saliva begin breakdown of carbohydrates
In stomach enzymes begin breakdown of protein and hydrochloric acid begins to dissolve nutrients
In small intestine molecules are broken down by bile and pancreatic juice
Different enzymes act on certain nutrients (due to shape) breaking chemical bonds turning them into smaller molecules
Where is bile produced?
Liver
Where is bile stored?
Gall bladder
What carries bile to the small intestine?
Bile duct
What nutrient does bile act on?
Fats
What does pancreatic juice contain?
Many many enzymes
Where are villi found?
Walls of the small intestine
What do they do?
Increase surface area for maximum nutrient absorption
