functions — digestive system

digestive system

digestive system

used for breaking down food into nutrients which pass into the circulatory system and are taken to where they are needed in the body

ingestion

taking in food

digestion

breaking down food into nutrients

absorption

taking in nutrients by cells

egestion

removing any leftover wastes

mouth

begins here and is broken down by teeth

amylase

chemically breaks down the chewed food

saliva

an enzyme produced in the mouth that breaks down carbohydrates

bolus

the tongue moves the food around until it forms this, a ball shaped product

pharynx

the first thing the bolus is passed by

epiglottis

makes sure the bolus passes into the esophagus and not down the windpipe

lower esophageal sphincter

a tight muscle that keeps stomach acid out of the esophagus, the bolus must pass through this to enter the stomach

rugae

a big muscular pouch which churns the bolus

gastric juice

a mixture of acid, mucus, and enzymes

chyme

the digested bolus

pyloric sphincter

the chyme leaves the stomach by passing through this

small intestine

majority of absorption occurs here, broken down into three segments/parts

duodenum

the first part of the small intestine, near the entrance

jejunum

the specific sector which majority of absorption takes place

villi

tiny fingerlike projections that line the jejunum, increasing the surface area for absorbing nutrients

microvilli

owned by each regular villi

ileum

last portion of the small intestine, fewer villi than the portion before and comacts leftovers

large intestine, colon

used to absorb water from the waste material leftover and to produce vitamin k and some b vitamins using the helpful bacteria that live here

rectum

all leftover waste is compacted and stored at the end of the large intestine

anus

where the anal sphincter loosens and the waste, called feces, passes out of the body through the anus

appendix

located near the caecum and the asending colon