Lesson 6 - Herbivore Digestion

Question 1

Why do ruminants have 4 stomach chambers?

Answer 1

• Eat wild vegetation which contains lots of cellulose
• More time to digest
• One chamber may have bacteria which produce cellulose to break down cellulose

Question 2

What is the rumen?

Answer 2

Stomach chamber containing cellulase-producing bacteria

Question 3

What happens to grass in rumen?

Answer 3

• Churned and mixed with mutualistic bacteria
• Bacteria produces cellulase; CO2 and methane as waste product
• Cellulase breaks cellulose down to beta glucose
• Beta glucose absorbed into blood
• Waste product released from ruminant

Question 4

What if some grass isn’t fully digested?

Answer 4

• Passes into reticulum chamber and formed into cud
• Cud regurgitated back into mouth for chewing (repetition of this process increases SA)
• Cud passes to omassum where water absorbed
• In abomasum, bacteria killed and digested, providing protein

Question 5

How do non-ruminant herbivores digest plant matter?

Answer 5

• Refection - Ingestion of faecal matter so material passes gut twice
• This is due to bacteria being in caecum which is near the end of gut