Unit 3: Digestion, Circulation, and Gas Exchange Flashcards
How many functions are there in the digestive system?
4
What are the 4 functions of the digestive system?
- ingestion
- digestion
- absorption
- assimilation
Ingestion (2)
- the act of taking food into the body
- done through mouth
Digestion (4)
- begins in the mouth
- breaking down of large food molecules into smaller ones by enzymes in saliva glands
- tongue forms food into an oval shape
- food goes down the esophagus
Esophagus
made of muscles that allow for food to go down to stomach
Why is digestion necessary?
nutrient molecules need to be made small enough so absorption can take place and the organism can get energy and build its tissues
Absorption
nutrients are broken into molecules that go into the blood stream
Assimilation
nutrients become a part of the tissue
What are the structures of the digestive system? (8)
- mouth
- esophagus
- stomach
- small intestine
- large intestine
- liver
- pancreas
- gallbladder
How many main digestive enzymes are there?
3
What are the main digestive enzymes? (3)
- amylase
- pepsin
- lipase
Where is amylase located?
salivary glands
Where is pepsin located?
stomach wall
Where is lipase located?
pancreas
What is the substrate to amylase?
starch
What is the substrate to pepsin?
proteins
What is the substrate to lipase?
triglycerides
What is the product of amylase?
small maltose
What is the product of pepsin?
peptides
What is the product of lipase? (2)
- fatty acids
- glycerol
What is the optimum pH for amylase?
7
What is the optimum pH for pepsin?
1.5
What is the optimum pH for lipase?
7
Stomach (2)
- responsible for storing food and digesting proteins
- acidity is very low, so it also destroys many food born pathogens