Human anatomy Parts 5-6 Flashcards
Alimentary canal
The gastrointestinal tract: a long tube that includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine
Appendix
A small organ that is part of the digestive system, but not the alimentary canal.
Bladder
A small, hollow organ; acts as a storage unit for urine.
Bolus
A soft mass of tiny bits of chewed food.
Bowman’s capsule
Contains the glomerulus and performs the first step in the filtration of blood to form urine. The fluid that enters and flows through it is called the filtrate.
Cecum
beginning of the large intestine
Chyle
lymph fluid which collects fat from digestion, which turns it a milky color
Chyme
a liquified mixture of food and gastric juices
Colon
the middle portion of the large intestine, divided into ascending, transverse, and descending colon
Duodenum
The first part of the small intestine, where digestive juice from the pancreas and liver combine with chyme, making it very thin and watery
Esophagus
Tube connecting the mouth to the stomach
Filtration
first step in urine formation
Gallbladder
A small sac that stores bile, until it is needed, in the small intestine
Glomerulus
Network of capillaries within the Bowman’s capsule that serves as the site of filtration.
Ileum
The third and longest part of the small intestine, where food continues to be absorbed into the bloodstream
Intestinal villi
finger-like projections covering the small intestine walls to increase surface area
Jejunum
the region where nutrients begin to be absorbed into the bloodstream
Kidneys
filter wastes from the blood which collect as urine
Large intestine
The last section of the digestive system, where water is absorbed from food and the remaining material is eliminated from the body
Liver
Produces bile to break down fats
Macronutrients
carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
Micronutrients
vitamins and minerals
Microvilli
smaller projections found on the intestinal villi that further increase surface area
Mucosa
inner wall of the small intestine that secretes several enzymes and breaks down food so the nutrients can be absorbed by blood capillaries in the villi
Nephrons
The basic filtering units in the kidneys.
Pancreas
Releases digestive enzymes to help break down food, and contains a group of cells, the Islet of Langerhans, some of which release the hormone insulin and others release the hormone glucagon which work to balance blood glucose levels
Peristalsis
the process of wave-like muscle contractions of the alimentary tract that moves food along
Pharynx
The throat, where food passes from the mouth to the esophagus
Pyloric sphincter
opening from the stomach into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine)
Reabsorption
The second part of urine production, and the process whereby renal tubules return materials necessary to the body back into the bloodstream
Rectum
The end of the large intestine where waste material is compressed into a solid form before being eliminated
Renal artery
blood vessel that carries blood to the kidney
Renal tubule
The tube that carries filtrate from the Bowman’s capsule
Salivary glands
accessory organs that are part of the digestive system which produce saliva
Secretion
The third and final step in the production of urine, whereby waste products that didn’t get filtered out of the bloodstream in the capillaries are sent to the nephron
Small intestine
The three-section part of the digestive system in which the most chemical digestion and absorption of nutrients takes place.
Stomach
Part of the digestive system; a muscular and elastic sac that serves to store food, break it up mechanically, and begin chemical digestion of proteins and fat.
Urea
Wastes dissolved in the bloodstream
Ureters
The tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
Urethra
the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body
Urine
A watery fluid produced by the kidneys that contains urea and other wastes
Amniotic sac
A fluid-filled sac which forms around the blastocyst to protect the baby as it grows.
Blastula
The stage of gestation which begins when the morula arrives in the uterus and the mass of cells forms an outer shell layer with an inner fluid-filled cavity, called a blastocyst.
Cervix
The opening to the uterus
Cleavage
when a single cell is converted to a multicellular zygote
Contractions
The tightening and releasing of the muscle of the uterus during labor to move the baby through the birth canal.
Ectoderm
the outer external layer of a zygote which will form the epidermis, hair, nails, and nervous system
Ejaculation
Muscles at the base of the penis force semen filled with sperm through the urethra and out of the penis.
Endoderm
the innermost layer of a zygote which will form the lining of the digestive and respiratory systems
Endometrium
lining of the uterus
Epididymis
A tube outside the testes where sperm mature and are stored.
Erectile tissue
Specialized tissue with a lot of space that can fill with blood upon proper stimulation, causing the tissue to become firm. Erectile tissue is found in the penis, the clitoris, the labia, and the nipples.
Estrogen
One of the female sex hormones, made in the ovaries, and responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system, along with development of secondary sex characteristics.
Fallopian tubes
ducts composed of smooth muscle connected to the uterus and leading to the ovaries. Eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus through the fallopian tubes, and the tubes are where fertilization takes place as semen travels up them to meet an egg.
Fertilization
Process in sexual reproduction in which male and female reproductive cells (sperm and egg) join to form a new cell
Fetus
The stage of human development starting at 9 weeks gestation, when all major organs have started to grow.
Gastrulation
the process which occurs when cells move inside the blastula and form multiple layers of cells called germ layers
Implantation
The process which occurs when the blastocyst embeds itself into the endometrium.
Menstruation
The process by which the uterus sheds the endometrium lining through the woman’s vagina if the ovum is not fertilized
Mesoderm
the germ layer which develops between the endoderm and ectoderm
Morula
the stage of development when the zygote has reached about 16 cells and is approximately 3 days old.
Oogenesis
the process by which an immature ovum matures.
Organogenesis
The process where all of the embryo’s organs are formed.
Ova
Female reproductive cells, or eggs
Ovaries
the functional center of the female reproductive system; they produce the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, and produce ova
Ovulation
a process where hormones cause the ovum to rupture and move to one of the fallopian tubes for possible fertilization.
Placenta
an organ that connects the developing baby to the mother via an umbilical cord.
Progesterone
One of the two female sex hormones, which helps regulate women’s menstrual cycles.
Prostate gland
A gland in males that, along with the seminal vesicles, produces semen, which is a fluid that nourishes and protects sperm.
Puberty
A time of significant change where the body undergoes sexual maturation
Scrotum
External sac that contains the testes, which keeps them cooler so that spermatogenesis can take place.
Secondary oocyte
The larger cell formed by oogenesis which receives most of the cytoplasm
Seminal vesicles
Along with the prostate gland, produces semen, which is a fluid that nourishes and protects sperm.
Seminiferous tubules
Located within the testes, long tiny tubes where meiosis takes takes place and sperm are produced.
Sexual reproduction
Process by which cells from a male and a female unite to produce the first cell of a new organism.
Sperm
male reproductive cell or gamete
Spermatogenesis
production of sperm cells (occurs in testes)
Testes
the functional center of the male reproductive system; they secrete sex hormones, including testosterone, and produce sperm.
Testosterone
Male sex hormone
Umbilical cord
Connects the baby to the mother (through the placenta), and allows the baby to obtain nutrients and oxygen from the mother and get rid of wastes and carbon dioxide
Urethra
tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body
Uterus
a hollow, muscular, pear-shaped organ where a fetus grows
Vagina
A muscular, elastic passageway that extends from the uterus to the outside of the body
Vas deferens
tube that carries sperm from the epididymis to the prostate gland to the urethra
Zygote
the organism formed when the sperm and egg cells come together (a brand-new person with his or her own DNA)
