Digestive system structure & function terms Flashcards
All structures of the alimentary canal, from the mouth to the anus, and the accessory organs
GI system
Taking a bite of food
Ingestion
The mouth
Oral or buccal cavity
The process in which food is broken down into smaller parts by the teeth and tongue
Mechanical digestion
Allows us to taste food and helps to form chewed food into a bolus
Tongue
A fluid secreted by the salivary glands; contains a chemical that starts to break down starches
Saliva
A rounded mass of chewed food that is ready to be swallowed
Bolus
Soft tissue that hangs from the upper back of the mouth and prevents food from entering the nasal cavity as we eat
Uvula
Funnel-shaped tissue at the back of the mouth that extends down to the esophagus
Pharynx
A long, tubelike structure that passes through the diaphragm and connects to the stomach
Esophagus
Doorway to the trachea; a small flap of cartilage at the top of the esophagus that keeps food from entering the respiratory tract
Epiglottis
Muscular contractions that move the food bolus downward into the stomach and move chyme through the small intestine
Peristalsis
A muscular opening between the esophagus and the stomach that prevents backflow of gastric secretions
LES
A membrane that lines the abdominal cavity
Peritoneum
Folds that line the stomach allowing it to expand when we eat a large amount of food
Rugae
The upper, middle, and lower portions of the stomach
Fundus, body, pyloris
Very acidic fluids that continue to break down food, preparing it for absorption within the intestines
Gastric secretions
A material made up of chewed food, saliva, and digestive juices
Chyme
Releases chyme from the pylorus into the small intestine a little at a time
Pyloric sphincter
A very long, narrow, tubelike structure in which the majority of digestion is completed and most nutrients are absorbed
Small intestine
Upper, middle, and end portion of the small intestine
Duodenum, jejunum, ileum
Fingerlike structures that increase the surface area of the small intestine
Villi
A valve through which products of digestion pass from the small intestine to the large intestine
Ileocecal valve
The first part of the large intestine
Cecum
A structure that hangs from the cecum in which normal bacteria may be stored to repopulate the GI tract
Appendix
The structure that progresses upward from the cecum
Ascending colon
The portion of the colon that passes horizontally across the uppermost part of the abdomen
Transverse colon
The portion of the colon found along the left side of the abdomen
Descending colon
The portion of the colon that descends into the rectum
Sigmoid colon
The waste product that is excreted through the process of defecation
Feces
The largest glandular organ of the body
Liver
A small sac found on the inner surface of the liver; acts as a storage pouch for bile
Gallbladder
An organ that secretes substances, which neutralize stomach acids and break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon, which work cooperatively to maintain healthy blood glucose levels
Pancreas
