HUMAN BODY

SYSTEMS:
DIGESTIVE AND
EXCRETORY
SYSTEMS
Levels of Organization
(Review)
 HUMAN
DIGESTIVE
BODY SYSTEM
SYSTEMS
Physical and Chemical Changes
Matter undergoes two types of changes:
• Physical change
• Chemical change
…this will make more sense next year in 8th grade!
Digestion is the breakdown of food into simpler
forms that can be used by cells
During digestion, food undergoes physical and
chemical changes
 The physical changes prepare the food to be
broken down chemically
 Then chemical changes allow for the energy
in food to be transformed into energy that
the cells can use

Digestive System Functions

The structures of the digestive system include:
 Mouth
 Esophagus
 Stomach
 Liver
 Gall Bladder
 Pancreas
 Small and Large Intestine
 Rectum

Digestive System Structures

 Physical Changes
 The teeth cut and mash food into smaller
pieces
 Saliva, a liquid released in the mouth, makes
food moist and slippery
 Chemical Changes
 Saliva contains enzymes that break down
carbohydrates into sugar molecules. An
enzyme is a protein that speeds up chemical
reaction

Mouth
 The slippery bit of food is swallowed and
enters the esophagus, a tube-like structure
that connects the throat to the stomach
 Food travels along the esophagus through a
process called peristalsis
 Peristalsis is the involuntary movement of
the muscles that move food through the
digestive tract

Esophagus & Peristalsis

 Physical Changes
 The muscles of the stomach squeeze the food
and transform it into a thick liquid called
chyme (pronounced “kime”)
 Chemical Changes
 Proteins in the food are broken down into
amino acids by the acid in the stomach

Stomach
 Food enters the small intestine as a thick
liquid (chyme)
 Most of the chemical changes take place in
the small intestine
 Substances from the small intestine, liver,
and pancreas help break down food
 The liquid produced by the liver (bile) is
stored in the gall bladder

Small Intestine
 Physical Changes The liver
 Fats are broken down into smaller droplets
by a special liquid made in the liver (called
bile)
 Fiber further thickens the liquid
 Chemical Changes
 Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are further
broken down so our bodies can use their
nutrients

Liver & Small Intestine

 The nutrients are then absorbed by finger-
like structures found in the small intestines
called villi
 In the villi, blood absorbs the nutrients and
sugar molecules, carrying them to the cells

Absorption in the
Small Intestine
 In the large intestine, some of the water is
removed and remainder becomes waste
material
 Waste material then travels through the
rectum and exits the body at the end of the
rectum

Large Intestine & Rectum

 HUMAN
EXCRETORY
BODY SYSTEM
SYSTEMS
The excretory system gets rid of waste
produced from the body’s cellular processes.

Excretory System Functions

 Blood containing waste materials enters the
excretory system through the kidneys
 In the kidneys, waste materials are filtered
out from the blood
 The waste material, now in a liquid form
called urine, flows to the ureter, a tube that
carries urine from the kidney to the bladder
 In the bladder, urine is temporarily stored
until the body is ready to excrete urine
through a tube called the urethra

Excretory System Structures

A nephron is the functional unit of the kidneys
where blood is filtered and urine is produced
 Blood is filtered in a capsule
 Sugars and water are recycled back into the
blood
 Urine empties into the ureter

Nephron
Glossary
Digestion the breakdown of food into simpler forms that can be used by cells
Enzymes a protein that speeds up a chemical reaction
Esophagus a tube-like structure that connects the throat to the stomach
Peristalsis the involuntary movement of the muscles that move food through the
digestive tract
Saliva a liquid released from the mouth that aids in digestion
Villi the finger-like structures found in the small intestine that help to
absorb digested food
Nephron the functional unit of the kidney where blood is filtered and urine is
produced
Ureter a tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder
Urethra a tube though which urine stored in the bladder is excreted from the
body
Urine the liquid waste produced by the kidney and stored by the bladder