The Digestive System

Flashcards of key vocabulary terms on the digestive system.

Alimentary Canal

Main part of the digestive system, a long tube (30ish feet) that food passes through, from mouth to the anal opening; also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or digestive tract.

Mechanical Digestion

Breaks particles into smaller pieces of the same chemical constituency (e.g., tearing a piece of bread in half).

Chemical Digestion

Changes the chemistry of food (e.g., enzymes changing polysaccharides [starch] into monosaccharides [glucose]).

Mucosa

The innermost tissue layer of the alimentary canal tube, featuring epithelium that varies in type depending on the location along the canal.

Submucosa

The tissue layer of the alimentary canal that includes blood and lymphatic vessels.

Muscularis

Double layer (circularis and longitudinal) of smooth muscle in the alimentary canal.

Serosa

Connective tissue layer of the alimentary canal, also called adventitia or visceral peritoneum.

Mesentery

Holds digestive organs in place.

Parietal Peritoneum

Touches the abdominal wall.

Visceral Peritoneum

Touches the organ; also known as serosa.

Chyme

The collective term for food and enzymes in the stomach.

Rugae

Ridges in the stomach that allow for expansion.

Gastric Pits

Small holes in the mucosa lining of the stomach.

Hepatocytes

Liver cells.

Bile Canaliculus

Ducts that collect bile in the liver.

Haustra

Pouches or 'little houses' in the large intestine.

Teniae Coli

Bands of smooth muscle in the longitudinal layer of the muscularis of the large intestine.