Excretory System Flashcards
What is the function of the digestive system?
digestion and absorption
What is digestion?
the breakdown of food into small molecules (which are then absorbed into the body)
How does the mouth break down all food?
mechanically
What is the ball of food called that the mouth creates?
the bolus
What does the mouth chemically break down?
carbohydrates
How does the mouth chemically break down carbs?
with an enzyme called amylase
What does the esophagus do?
it’s a smooth muscle that squeezes the bolus into the stomach with a process called peristalsis
What is the function of the stomach?
mechanical digestion (churning) and chemical digestion of proteins
What enzymes does the stomach use to break down proteins (that also make up the gastric fluid)?
pepsin and trypsin
What is an ulcer?
a hole in the stomach that lets gastric fluids out
What is mucus in the stomach used for?
stops the stomach from digesting itself
What are sphincters?
muscles that squeezes at the beginning and end of stomach
What does the pyloric sphincter do?
separates the stomach from the small intestines
What is chyme?
fluids that travel from the stomach into the small intestine
Where are lipids digested?
small intestines
Where does bile come from?
it’s excreted from the liver into the gallbladder, then into the small intestines
Which enzyme digests lipids?
lipase
Which enzyme digests nucleic acids?
nuclease
How do all absorbtions by the villus occur?
through diffusion or facilitated diffusion into the blood
What happens after the bolus travels through the small intestines?
what is left goes to the large intestine
What happens in the large intestine (colon)?
water absorption
After the bolus goes through the small intestines, what is it called?
feces
After the feces go through the large intestine, what happens?
they go to the rectum waiting to be expelled
What is the definition of an accessory organ?
an organ that the bolus DOES NOT travel through
