The digestive system

Types of nutrition

• _______________ _______________
 Unable to manufacture food from inorganic molecules.
 Depend on ____________.
• _______________ ________________
 Organisms capable of synthesizing organic molecules from simple ___________material.
 Types: photosynthesizes and chemo synthesizers.

Steps of heterotrophic digestion

1) _____________
– ________ or _________
– Putting __________ molecules into the system.
– Heterotrophs need:
• Sugars
• Amino Acids
• Fatty Acids
• Glycerol
• Minerals
• Vitamins

2) ____________
– Breakdown of____________________ into smaller ones that can be absorbed by the cells
• ____________ -- chewing/churning
• ___________ -- digestive enzymes

__________  _______________________
__________  _______________________
__________  _______________________

3) ____________
– Nutrients are absorbed into the blood
• ___________ ____________
• ________
• _________
• _________

4) ___________
– Elimination of undigested material
– __________ but because this is a biology class we will call it _________

5) ___________
– The __________ of nutrients into fluid or solid parts of the organism.
– Assimilation can only occur after __________ has taken place.
Parts
Organs Glands/Accessory organs
Order of events

Beginning

________  _______________  __________  __________  __________  __________ 

__________ End

Mouth

• Purpose
– __________ ___________ by teeth and tongue
– _________ ________ by enzymes in saliva
• Value
– food easily swallowed
– increases ___________ _________ exposed for action by digestive enzymes
• Secretions
– _________
• 1 to 2 liters per day
• from 3 pairs of glands in the mouth
• Composition of Saliva
– _________
• moistens food
– _________ (enzyme)
• begins ________ digestion

Pharynx
• ____________
– Common tube through which both _______ and ______ pass
 • Four openings
– ______ ______ _________ ________
– ______ __________
• Contains a flap of tissue called the ____________ to prevent food from entering the trachea

Esophagus
• Hollow muscular tube
• Connects ________to the _________
What makes the food go to the stomach?
• Movement of food by __________
– rhythmic waves of contraction and relaxation of muscular walls
– food is squeezed through esophagus into stomach
• ___________and _______ shunt food into esophagus during swallowing
• Structure
– _______ walled and muscular
– from ________ to _______
– walls contain mucus glands which secrete ________ to ________ food for easy passage

Stomach

Structure
• a hollow _________ pouch
• J shaped – shape and _______ changes from meal to meal.
located high in the abdominal cavity, just under the ___________ where your ribs come up
together – not at your _______
• Connection between esophagus and the stomach is regulated by __________ __________.
– muscular ring surround ___________ at this point
– acts like a ______ to open and close the tube
– keeps the food from falling out of your stomach when standing on your head.
• Connection between the small intestine and the bottom end of the stomach is regulated by the
________ _________.
– Regulate the release of ________ into small intestine
• _______ - when food is mixed with gastric juice.

• FUNCTIONS
– temporary _________ of ingested food
– ____________ breakdown of ingested food
• churning of the stomach mixes juice with
food
– liquefaction of food
– beginning of _________ digestion (disruption of
chemical bonds in food through action of ________
and )
Secretions - ________ __________
• ____ plays an essential role in gastric activity
– Regulated by amount of _______ _______ secretion
• _______ ______is secreted into the stomach cavity by stomach cells
– Gastric juices contain:
1. ____________ _______– ______(aq)
– pH of 1-2
– H+ and Cl- are secreted ___________, becomes _____ in stomach
– Acidity:
– destroys _________ present in food
– ____________ proteins and inactivates enzymes in food
– Break down plant _____ ________ and connective tissues in ______
– Activates _______
2. ________ (endopeptidase)
• an _________ which begins _______ digestion
• Pepsin is produced and secreted by _____ _______ in an inactive form called
____________
– ___________ converts to pepsin when pH gets to 2 or lower
Why secrete pepsin in an inactive form?

• Pepsin is secreted as pepsinogen first is to protect the _________ lining.

• stomach lined with a ________ _________
– prevents ______ and _________ digesting enzymes from damaging wall
– Hence, stomach only _______ food, and does not have any food ___________
Small intestine

• FUNCTION
– complete the __________ of food
• important secretions from the _________ and the _______
– ________ the nutrients into the circulatory system (blood)
STRUCTURE + FUNCTION
• About 6 meters long
– ________ sections
1) ___________
– first 25 cm
– Digestion
– __________ acids in _______
– Receives and mixes _________
and ________ secretions
2) __________
– next 2 meters
– Bulk of chemical digestions and
nutrient absorption
3) _______
– next 4 or 5 meters
 – _________

• the inside of the S.I. is covered with millions of tiny finger-like projections called ______
– each ______ is actually covered with millions of ___________
– the villi and microvilli increase ________ ____ for _________ food molecules into blood.
– _____ times more surface area
Duodenum
 Receives secretions from pancreas and liver
 Some digestive enzymes are embedded on the surface of the small intestine. These enzymes
continue working even if the cell is rubbed off and mixed into the intestinal contents
Enzyme Function
Complete the digestion of disaccharides prior
to absorption
Hydrolysis of peptides which are two or three
amino acids long
Hydrolysis of polypeptides beginning at the
amino end of the molecule
Secretions (___________ _______)
1. ______________ – sodium ____________
• raises pH to _ (important for __________ to function)
2. __________ ___________
• an enzyme which continues the digestion of starch into maltose units
3. _________
• enzyme digesting _______ into fatty acids & glycerol
4. __________ _________
-enzymes which continue protein digestion
-2 types:
1. __________ – break down _______ protein complexes
2. __________ – break down _______ peptide chains into individual _______ ______

Example:
_________ (protease)
• Secreted as _________ in ___________ (similar to pepsinogen)
• _________ into trypsin by an enzyme in membrane surface of ______ _________

Liver and Gallbladder secretion

• The liver produces _____
• brown fluid
• Bile is stored in the __________
– when _____ enter the small intestine, the gallbladder contracts and squirts bile into the
____________

Small intestine
– ________is water-soluble, only contact ____ droplets on the outside surface
• Cannot break down the fat on the inside of the droplet
 – bile __________ fats
• ___________ prevents fats to _________ with each other
• Fats are in smaller droplets
• greater ________ _______for action by lipase
– bile is _____ an enzyme because it does not cause a _________ change in fat.

All types of food are acted upon

Starch Maltose units

Proteins Amino acids and Dipeptides

Fats Glycerol and fatty acids

• once all food molecules are at _________ stage, they are ready to be __________ into the
circulatory system through the ________ on small
intestine surfaces

Large intestine
• Material NOT absorbed by this the small intestine will enter the large intestine through another
sphincter – the _______-_________ sphincter

Functions

• absorb ______ into blood

• absorb _______ and minerals into blood
• eliminate undigested material from digestive tract (cellulose, lignin, bile pigments, bacteria and
intestinal cells.)
• Some _________ live in the large intestine of mammals
• they digest material that we are not able to digest
• a byproduct of this activity results in the __________ of ________
• __________
Rectum and anus
• last section of digestive tract
• _______ is a holding pouch for feces
• feces exits the digestive tract through a sphincter muscle called the ______
• rectal veins are found near opening
• when inflammation occurs, the inside diameter of anus decreases & passage of feces is difficult
and painful
• called _________ _________.
However
• fiber in the diet serves to ________ _______throughout the digestive tract resulting in _______
______

Control of digestive secretions

Nervous system

• The following stimulates ___________ and production and release of gastric juices:
– ____________ of food (see and smell)
– ___________ of food in mouth (taste)
Endocrine system
• ___________
• When food enters the stomach ________ is released by endocrine glands in the stomach wall
• __________ enters the bloodstream and acts on other gastric glands
– Produces and releases __________
• _________ (a hormone) causes the pancreas to begin producing pancreatic juice
– presence of ________ in the S.I. causes the cells of the duodenum to secrete the
hormone __________ into the blood

Liver
• Synthesis
– produces biles salts which are stored in the _____________ and which emulsify fat
– manufactures blood proteins
• ___________/__________
– removes highly toxic nitrogen group from amino acids forming _________ (main
component in urine)
– removes toxic component of ___________ allowing it to be excreted with _____________
– converts __________ into ________ and _________ into __________
• maintains constant blood sugar levels
• __________
– stores _________
– stores vitamin A, _____, and D
 • ____________
– Converts harmful compounds, such as
alcohol, to less harmful products

Organ Function

Disorders of the digestive tract

Ulcers
• Forms when the thick layer of _________ that protects the lining of the stomach from the acids in
the digestive juices is _________
• Most ulcers caused by the bacteria ___________
• Rest can be caused by _________ __________intake and ________
• Treatment – usually antibiotics or lifestyle adjustment

Inflammatory bowel disease

• Inflammation in the ___________ (_______)
• ________________ – usually affects the ilium but can affect any pat of the digestive tract from the
________ to the _______
 • _____________ extends deep into the lining of the affected organ, causing __________ and
_________ _________
• __________ disease is different from IBS or _________ ________ (affects only the inner lining of
the colon)
• No cure – can only be treated with meds

Tapeworms
• group of ____________ ________that live in the intestinal tracts of some animals. Several different
species of tapeworms can infect humans. Tapeworm disease or cestodiasis occurs most
commonly____________________________________ that contains the immature form of the
tapeworm.

Diseases of the accessory organs

Hepatitis
• _____________ of the ________
• _______ comes from contaminated _____
• _______ comes from sexual contact
• Both have a vaccine
• _______ comes from contaminated blood
• No vaccine for Hep C

Cirrhosis
• _________ __________ of the liver that occurs when
_______ ______ replaces healthy liver tissue.
• _________ & ____________________ are the most
common causes of cirrhosis of the liver
• Liver can ____________ itself, but once the cirrhosis
reaches a point of liver failure, a transplant is required.

Gallstones
• Small hard _________ that form in the gallbladder.
• Gallbladder stores ______ from the liver
• Sometimes, the __________ in the bile can precipitate out and form ________.
• These crystals grow in size over time and eventually become gallstones.
• Usually caused by __________, ___________, ___________.
• Can be blasted with sound waves to disintegrate them or must be removed surgically

Psychological conditions

Anorexia nervosa
• characterized by a morbid fear of ________ __________
 • Distorted sense of self-image – see themselves as fat even when they are ____________ _______
• _____________ – low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, constipation and the skin dries out
• In females, ______________ ceases

Obesity

• _________ _______ that is considered to be 20% or more above what is considered to be a

person’s ideal mass for their height.
• Caused by a combination of _______, hormonal, lifestyle and societal factors.
• Can lead to other heath disorders such as heart disease, diabetes, _________
• Treatment – lifestyle changes, surgery to remove excess fat, _________ _________.