PRACTICAL 4.

ANIMAL NUTRITION

3.1. Introduction:
All animals must eat and the variety of eating and digestive mechanisms is quite large. One of these mechanisms
is rumination, which is used by some species to facilitate the digestion of tough plant material. In this practical
you will study a cow’s stomach to better understand how each chamber is structured to fulfil its digestive role.

Cow Stomach
Adapted from: https://www.cpp.edu/honorscollege/documents/convocation/AG/AVS_Jolitz.pdf
The cow’s stomach resembles one stomach split into four separate compartments, each of which has a separate
function.

Rumen
•Muscular and covered in papillae (finger-like projections), housing partially digested material.
•Muscle contractions mix food, symbiotic bacteria, protozoa and fungi.
•Microorganisms break down food and release nutrients via fermentation.
•Through the papillae, products of microbial fermentation (volatile fatty acids) are absorbed
•Microflora growing in the rumen are a source of protein

Reticulum
•The rumen and reticulum are very close in structure and function and can be considered as one organ. They are
separated by a muscular fold of tissue.
• The reticulum has a rough and honeycomb-like lining.
•Fluid contents of the reticulum play a role in particle separation.
•Heavy or dense feed and large objects are trapped here.
•After food has been sufficiently broken down, it goes through the reticulo-omasal orifice into the omasum.

Omasum
•The omasum is a highly folded with omasal laminae to increase the surface area.
•Omasal laminae are made of thin muscular layers covered with a non-glandular mucous membrane.
•It has small projections on its surface called omasal papillae.
•These papillae further increase the surface area and provide increased friction against food particles.
•It allows water and minerals such as sodium and phosphorus to be reabsorbed from the food.
•It also acts as a pump from the reticulum to the abomasum for the solid portion of foods and excess water back
into the rumen.
•Provides food to the abomasum through the omaso-abomasal orifice.
.
Abomasum
•Once food is pumped into this stomach compartment, acid digestion begins.
•Secretory stomach similar in anatomy and function as the monogastric stomach.
•Serves primarily in acid hydrolysis of microbial and dietary protein.
•Prepares protein for further digestion and absorption in the small intestine.

Watch the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd2pJ9x0V30.

 Figure 1. Rumen compartments and internal structures.

Figure 2. A fistulated or cannulated cow (right) has a surgically fitted cannula that allows access to the rumen
of a cow. On the left we can see inside the cannula, into the rumen.

Task 1 - 16 marks
1. The rumen is by far the largest stomach compartment. What is the purpose for this? (2)
2. What is a structural observation you can make to explain why the rumen does not rip or burst? (1)
3. The papillae are denser on the bottom of the rumen than on the top. What is the reason for this? (2)
4. Why is the rumen not acidic?
5. What digestive tract changes take place in a monogastric herbivore to facilitate plant digestion? (4)
6. What is a ceacotroph? Where and why is it produced? (5)

Source: Brandstäter et al. (2019). Mechanics of the stomach: A review of an emerging field of biomechanics. GAMM-
Mitteilungen.
Task 2 – 14 marks
The abomasum of a cow resembles the glandular monogastric stomach’s fundic region. Now observe the mammal
fundic stomach slide under a compound microscope.

Log on to the website https://www.ncbionetwork.org/iet/microscope/ to complete the following task.

Using the above website, select the ‘explore tab’. Open the slide box and select ‘human’. Select the ‘Simple
columnar epithelium’ slide. Start with the lowest power objective and note the general and tissue layers of the
entire structure. Move to a stronger magnification, until you can clearly see the cells in detail.

Draw and label the tissue layers with representative cells in each layer. You may need to move between
magnifications to get the correct proportions for each layer. Take a photograph or scan your drawing for
submission. Make sure it is clear when you upload it. In addition take a screenshot of your slide (you can crop
the image to make it clearer) and paste this above your drawing.

TOTAL: 30 marks