Digestive System Basics
What are the four major tasks of the digestive system?
Ingestion, digestion, absorption, and elimination.
What is the process of taking in food called?
Ingestion.
What substance in the stomach helps break down proteins?
Pepsin
Where does most nutrient absorption occur?
Small intestine.
Which organ produces pancreatic juice?
Pancreas
What is digestion?
Breaking down food physically and chemically into smaller building blocks.
Which enzyme in saliva begins carbohydrate digestion?
What is the name of the semi-liquid food mixture leaving the stomach?
Chyme
What tiny structures increase the surface area for absorption?
Villi (microvilli)
Which organ produces bile?
Liver
What is absorption?
The movement of nutrients into the bloodstream for use by cells.
What flap prevents food from entering the trachea?
Epiglottis
What acid is found in gastric juice?
Hydrochloric Acid (HCL)
What is the main job of the large intestine?
Reabsorbing water.
Which organ stores bile?
Gallbladder
What is elimination?
Removing undigested waste from the body.
What wave-like muscle contractions move food through the esophagus?
Peristalsis
Why doesn't the stomach digest itself?
A protective mucus lining protects it.
Name one beneficial role of bacteria in the large intestine.
They produce vitamins (or help maintain gut health).
What does pancreatic juice help neutralize?
Acidic chyme.
Which digestive organ does a platypus lack (by one scientific definition)?
A stomach.
What is a bolus?
A ball of chewed food ready to be swallowed.
Approximately how much food and liquid can an adult stomach hold?
About 2 liters.
Name the three parts of the small intestine.
Duodenum, jejunum, ileum.
Which accessory organ is the body's largest internal organ?
The liver.