General Zoology Laboratory: Digestive Tract of the Frog

Vocabulary flashcards identifying the parts and functions of the frog's digestive system, along with key biological processes mentioned in the laboratory module.

Esophagus

An almost imperceptible structure that connects the buccal cavity to the stomach.

Stomach

A large pouch of J-shaped structure which serves as the temporary storage of food, located along the left side and dorsal to the liver.

Pancreas

An irregular flattish glandular tissue lying adjacent to the duodenum that secretes yellowish pancreatic juice.

Small Intestine

A yellowish or grayish structure, slender and irregularly coiled, divided into the duodenum and ileum for final digestion of food.

Large Intestine

Also called the colon, it is a structure slightly wider in diameter than the small intestine where undigested food passes through.

Liver

A large, firm, reddish brown structure with three lobes that secretes bile to emulsify fats.

Gall bladder

A greenish structure located between the lobes of the liver used as temporary storage of bile.

Bile duct

The structure that connects the gall bladder to the small intestine.

Cloaca/Anus

The external structure that releases waste and other materials into the environment.

Metamorphosis

The process a frog undergoes from a tadpole that breathes with gills to an amphibian with developed organ systems.

Duodenum

One of the two parts of the small intestine involved in the final digestion of food.

Ileum

One of the two parts of the small intestine associated with final digestion.

Line alba

The mid-line of the frog's muscular abdominal wall used as a reference point during dissection.

Peristalsis

The wavelike manner in which muscles in the esophagus constrict and relax to push food down into the stomach.

Chemical digestion

The process that reduces food to the size of molecules for nutrient uptake, occurring mostly in the small intestine.

Mechanical digestion

The physical breakdown of food, a process where the stomach plays a large role.

Chyme

The partially digested food mass that is broken down by enzymes in the small intestine.