BIOL 106 Animal Nutrition & Digestion

These flashcards cover key concepts in animal nutrition and digestion based on lecture content.

What are the three nutritional needs that an adequate diet must satisfy?

Chemical energy (ATP for cellular processes), building blocks for molecules (organic carbon or nitrogen), and essential nutrients that cannot be made by the animal.

Define the term 'detritivore'.

An organism that feeds on dead organic matter.

What is the diet of carnivores?

Carnivores feed on animals.

What do omnivores eat?

Omnivores feed on a combination of plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and/or bacteria.

Which organisms are classified as herbivores?

Herbivores feed on plants and algae.

What is a suspension feeder?

An organism that captures food by filtering out particles floating in water or drifting through the air.

Describe fluid feeders.

Fluid feeders suck or mop up liquids like nectar, plant sap, blood, or fruit juice.

What do deposit feeders ingest?

Deposit feeders ingest organic material that has been deposited within a substrate or on its surface.

What are mass feeders?

Mass feeders take chunks of food into their mouths.

What are essential nutrients?

Essential nutrients are nutrients that an animal cannot make and must obtain from its diet.

Give examples of essential nutrients.

Essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

What is the role of vitamins in the body?

Vitamins act as coenzymes required for enzymes to function properly in certain reactions.

What is the difference between a complete and an incomplete digestive tract?

A complete digestive tract has two openings (mouth and anus), while an incomplete digestive tract has one opening.

Provide an example of an animal with an incomplete digestive tract.

Flatworms.

Provide an example of an animal with a complete digestive tract.

Dogs or birds.

What are the main regions of the mammalian digestive tract?

Mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine.

Name the main accessory organs of the digestive system.

Salivary glands, pancreas, liver, gall bladder.

What digestive functions occur in the mouth?

Ingestion and chemical digestion.

What enzyme is found in the mouth and what is its function?

Salivary amylase; it begins carbohydrate digestion.

What is the function of the esophagus?

The esophagus transports food from the mouth to the stomach.

What role does the crop serve in birds?

The crop stores food and regulates its passage into the stomach.

What functions does the stomach serve?

Food storage, mechanical digestion, and secretion of gastric juice.

What substances are found in gastric juice?

Mucous, pepsinogen, hydrochloric acid.

How is pepsinogen activated into pepsin?

It is activated by hydrochloric acid.

In what type of environment is pepsin most active?

Pepsin is most active in an acidic environment.

What structures increase the surface area of the small intestine?

The duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.

What are the main digestive secretions of the pancreas?

Pancreatic amylase, lipase, nucleases, proteases.

How do bile salts and lipase work together in lipid digestion?

Bile salts emulsify lipids, making it easier for lipase to digest them.

Where in the digestive tract are polysaccharides, fats, and proteins digested?

In the small intestine by brush border enzymes.

Where are brush border enzymes located, and give an example.

They are located in the small intestine; an example is lactase.

What are the functions of the large intestine?

Water absorption, vitamin K synthesis via microbiome, and defecation.

What is one difference between the GI tract of a carnivore and an herbivore?

Herbivores have a longer GI tract and larger cecum.