The Digestive System Flashcards
What are the functions of the organs in the digestive system?
- ingest food
- transport ingested material
- digest the material into smaller usable components
- absorb the necessary digested nutrients into the bloodstream
- expel waste products from the body
Name the digestive organs.
- oral cavity
- pharynx
- esophagus
- stomach
- small intestine
- large intestine
What are the accessory digestive organs?
not part of the long gastrointestinal tube, but often develop as outgrowths of that tube
Name the accessory digestive organs.
- teeth
- tongue
- salivary glands
- liver
- gall bladder
- pancreas
Propulsion of food along the GI tube involves _______ and _________.
- peristalsis
- segmentation
What is peristalsis?
the ripple-like wave of muscular contraction that forces material to move further along the GI tract
What is segmentation?
the churning and mixing of material helping to disperse the material and mix it and combine it with digestive organ secretions
Name the 3 pairs of salivary glands that are located external to the oral cavity.
- parotid glands
- submandibular glands
- sublingual glands
What are mesenteries?
- folds of peritoneum that support and stabilize intraperitoneal GI tract organs
Blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves are sandwiched between the two folds and supply the digestive organs. Name 3 of them.
- greater and lesser omentum
- mesentery proper
- mesocolon
Where is the stomach located?
upper left quadrant of abdomen
What happens in the stomach?
- continues the mechanical and chemical digestion of the bolus
- bolus is eventually processed into chyme
What happens in the small intestine?
- finishes off chemical digestion, absorbs most of the nutrients
- ingested materials spend at least 12 hours in the small intestine
Why is the small intestine shorter in a living individual than in a cadaver?
muscle tone
What are the 3 segments of the small intestine?
- duodenum
- jejunum
- ileum
