Unit 2: Nutrient Acquisition Flashcards
Micronutrient
An essential element that an organism needs in very small amounts
Chlorine, Iron, Manganese, Boron, Zinc, Copper, Nickel, Molybdenum
Ingestion
The first stage of food processing in animals: the act of eating
4 kinds of feeders:
1. Suspension feeders filter and trap food particles from surrounding environment (blue whales, flamingoes)
2. Substrate feeders live in/on their food source (caterpillars)
3. Fluid feeders suck nutrients from a living host (mosquitos)
4. Bulk feeders eat large pieces of food (humans, pythons)
Digestion
The second stage of food processing: the breaking down of food into molecules small enough for the body to absorb
Mechanical digestion: chewing/grinding, breaking food into small pieces
Chemical digestion: breaks down large molecules to small molecules ie polysaccharides to monosaccharides
Absorption
The third stage of food processing: the uptake of small nutrient molecules by an organism’s body
Elimination
The fourth and final stage of food processing in animals: the passing of undigested material out of the body
Trypsin
Pancreas
A gland with exocrine and endocrine tissues. The exocrine portion functions in digestion, secreting enzymes and an alkaline solution into the small intestine via a duct; the ductless endocrine portion functions in homeostasis, secreting the hormones insulin and glucagon into the blood.
Macronutrient
An essential element that an organism must obtain in relatively large amounts.
Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Sulfur
Salivary glands
A gland associated with the oral cavity that secretes substances that lubricate food and begin the process of chemical digestion.
Peristalsis
(pār′-uh-stal′-sis) 1) Alternating waves of contraction and relaxation in the smooth muscles lining the alimentary canal that push food along the canal. 2) A type of movement on land produced by rhythmic waves of muscle contractions passing from front to back, as in many annelids.
Duodenum
(dū′-uh-dēn′-um) The first section of the small intestine, where chyme from the stomach mixes with digestive juices from the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder as well as from gland cells of the intestinal wall.
Sphincters
A ringlike band of muscle fibers that controls the size of an opening in the body, such as the passage between the esophagus and the stomach.
Oral cavity
The mouth of an animal
Ileum
Essential element
A chemical element required for an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce.
Smooth muscle
A type of muscle lacking the striations of skeletal and cardiac muscle because of the uniform distribution of myosin filaments in the cells; responsible for involuntary body activities.
Pharynx
1) An area in the vertebrate throat where air and food passages cross. 2) In flatworms, the muscular tube that protrudes from the ventral side of the worm and ends in the mouth.
Epiglottis
Microbiome
The collection of microorganisms living in or on an organism’s body, along with their genetic material.
Jejunum
Microvilli
One of many fine, finger-like projections of the epithelial cells in the lumen of the small intestine that increase its surface area.
Mycorrhizae
A mutualistic association of plant roots and fungus.
Cation exchange
A process in which positively charged minerals are made available to a plant when hydrogen ions in the soil displace mineral ions from the clay particles.
Bile salts
