Nutrition Flashcards
define autotrophic
– makes complex organic molecules from
simple inorganic ones.
Name the two types of autotrophic organisms.
● Photoautotrophic
● Heterotrophic
What is a photoautotrophic organism?
Use light as a source of energy for synthesis of food.
What is a chemoautotrophic organism?
Oxidise inorganic molecules to provide energy for the synthesis of food
Define heterotrophic.
An organism that cannot produce its own
food. It obtains energy by feeding on
organic compounds produced by other
organisms
What is a saprotroph?
An organism that feeds by extracellular
digestion, e.g. fungi
Describe extracellular digestion by saprotrophs
● Release enzymes which catalyse the
breakdown of dead plant and animal
material into simpler organic matter
● Absorb the products of digestion
What is meant by the term ‘holozoic’?
Describes a heterotrophic organism that
internally digests food substances
What processes does holozoic nutrition involve?
Ingestion, digestion, absorption,
assimilation and egestion
Define ingestion.
The process by which organisms take
food into their bodies.
Define digestion.
The processes by which large, insoluble
molecules are broken down into smaller,
soluble molecules that can be absorbed across cell membranes.
Name the two types of digestion.
● Mechanical digestion
● Chemical digestion
What is mechanical digestion?
● Type of digestion that involves physically
breaking down food material into smaller pieces
● Increases the total surface area for chemical digestion
What is chemical digestion?
A type of digestion that involves breaking
down large, insoluble molecules into
smaller, soluble molecules using enzymes.
What is assimilation?
The synthesis of biological compounds
from absorbed simpler molecules
Define absorption.
The movement of useful substances into
the bloodstream
Define egestion
The removal of undigested waste
material from the body
Describe how unicellular organisms obtain nutrients
● Ingestion via phagocytosis
● Intracellular digestion (using hydrolytic enzymes) breaks down large, insoluble molecules into smaller, soluble molecules
● Products of digestion pass into the cytoplasm by diffusion and active transport
● Undigested material removed by exocytosis
What is a Hydra?
A small, multicellular, freshwater
organism of the phylum Cnidaria.
Describe the structure of Hydra
● Basic, undifferentiated sac-like gut
● Single opening, surrounded by tentacles,
that serves as a mouth and an anus
● Single gut cavity (known as the enteron)
Outline the process of digestion in
Hydra.
● Hydrolytic enzymes secreted into the enteron by the endodermis
● Extracellular digestion partially digests food molecules
● Partially digested food transported, via phagocytosis, into endodermal cells where intracellular digestion takes place
● Undigested material egested from the enteron via the single opening
Describe the shape of the gut in more complex organisms.
Tube-like with two openings, a mouth for
ingestion and anus for egestion.
What type of diet is the human gut adapted to?
An omnivorous diet consisting of plant
and animal material.
State the names of the different layers of
the gut wall
● Epithelium
● Mucosa
● Submucosa
● Muscle layer
● Serosa
What is the epithelium?
A single layer of cells that line the gut
wall.
Describe the structure of the mucosa
layer of the gut wall.
● Mucous membrane lining the gut wall
● Contains glands that secrete digestive
enzymes, mucus, and an acid or alkaline liquid that provides an optimum pH
Describe the structure of the sub-mucosa layer of the gut wall.
● Layer of connective tissue below the mucous membrane
● Contains blood vessels and lymph for the transport of digestion product and glands that secrete an alkaline fluid
Describe the muscle layer of the human gut
A layer of circular and longitudinal
muscles beneath the submucosa
Explain the action of circular and longitudinal
muscles in peristalsis.
The contraction of the circular muscle behind
the bolus of food and the relaxation of the
longitudinal muscle in front forces food down
the gut.
What is the serosa?
The tough, protective layer that
surrounds the gut.
What is the buccal cavity?
The oral cavity through which food
enters the body
Which type(s) of digestion take place in
the buccal cavity?
Mechanical digestion and chemical
digestion of starch.
What is the normal pH range of the
buccal cavity?
pH 6.5 to 7.5
What is the function of the teeth?
Crush and grind food into smaller pieces,
increasing its surface area.
What is the tongue?
A muscular organ in the buccal cavity
that is vital in the chewing and
swallowing of food
Describe the function of salivary glands.
Secrete amylase, mineral ions and
mucus into the buccal cavity
What is the function of the oesophagus?
Carries food from the buccal cavity to the
stomach by peristalsis.
Describe the processes that take place
in the stomach
Mechanical digestion (mixing and grinding)
and chemical digestion of protein.
What type of glands are found in the
stomach?
gastric glands
function of gastric glands
Secrete endopeptidases, hydrochloric
acid and an alkaline mucus into the
stomach
What is the normal pH of the stomach?
pH 2
function of liver
Secretes bile into the small intestine via
the gallbladder and bile duct.
Describe the composition and function
of bile
● Consists of bile salts and an alkaline fluid
● Neutralises stomach acid, providing an
ideal pH for lipase
State the two main divisions of the small
intestine.
● Duodenum
● Ileum
what is the duodenum
The first section of the small intestine
where proteins and lipids are hydrolysed.
what is the ileum
The second section of the small intestine
that serves as the main site of absorption
of the products of digestion.
What is the normal pH range of the small
intestine?
ph 7 to 8
What is the pancreas and where is it located?
A gland situated behind the stomach.
Describe the role of the pancreas.
It secretes enzymes and an alkaline fluid
into the duodenum via the pancreatic
duct.
What is the large intestine also called?
colon
Describe the function of the colon.
Reabsorbs water and minerals from the
waste material
What is the rectum?
The segment of the large intestine that
stores faeces prior to egestion
Which enzymes are involved in
carbohydrate digestion? Where are they
found?
● Amylase in saliva and pancreatic juice
● Maltase, sucrase, lactase on the
membrane of the epithelial cells of the small
intestine
What are the substrates and products of
the carbohydrases?
● Amylase hydrolyses starch to maltose
● Maltase hydrolyses maltose to alpha-glucose
● Sucrase hydrolyses sucrose to glucose and fructose
● Lactase hydrolyses lactose to glucose and galactose
What is the optimum pH of amylase?
pH8