Digestive System: Ileum and Large Intestine

Vocabulary flashcards covering the structural features and absorptive functions of the ileum and large intestine.

Ileum

A long tube about $5\,\text{m}$ long whose length gives more time for digested food to be absorbed.

Villi

Millions of small projections located on the folded inner surface of the ileum that increase the surface area to allow more food to be absorbed in a given time.

Villi Walls

Walls that are only $1$ cell thick, allowing digested food to pass through quickly across the wall of the ileum into capillaries.

Capillaries

Tiny blood vessels within the villi that transport absorbed digested food from the ileum to the liver to be taken to the rest of the body.

Large Intestine

A large tube with a length of about $1.5\,\text{meter}$, consisting of the colon and rectum.

Colon

A component of the large intestine responsible for absorbing water and minerals from indigestible food.

Rectum

A short muscular tube containing indigestible food, dead cells, mucus, and germs, which form and store faeces.