Digestion System

Teeth

begin the process of mechanical digestion to assist in swallowing

Tongue

Plays the role of moving the food around the mouth

contains papillae that house the taste buds

Uvula

hanging from the middle of the back edge of the soft palate which prevents food from entering the pharynx during swallowing

Saliva

clear liquid secreated into the mouth by the salivary glands

moistens the mouth

Bolus

Round mass of food that has been chewed to the point of swallowing

Esophagus

tube connecting the pharynx to the stomach

lined with muscles to work food down

Peristalsis

symmetrical contraction of muscles which propagates in a wave down the esophagus to help propel food through the digestive tract

Stomach

Muscular J shaped organ

temporarily used for food storage

walls are folded

has 3 layers of muscle

gastric glands

lined within the stomach

secrete gastric juices

Chyme

thick liquid of partially digested food mixed with gastric juices

Cardiac sphincter

muscular valve at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach

controls the backflow of stomach contents back into the esophagus

Plyoric sphincter

muscular valve at the lower end when closed

helps keep the food in the stomach

Duodenum

first part of the small intestine

chemical digestion of chyme begins here

bile from gallbladder and digestive juices from the pancreas mix in here

Jejunum

follows the duodenum

lining is specialized for absorption

Ileum

functions to absorb nutrients and to push undigested food into the large intestine

mainly absorbs anything left over that has not been absorbed

Villi

Tiny finger like projections that increase the surface area

Microvilli

each villi is in turn covered with many ____________ to further increase the surface area

Large Intestine

Absorbs most of the water

contains anaerobic bacteria to digest undigested material

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Cecum

The cavity in which the large intestine begins and into which the ileum opens

Appendix

finger like projection at the end of the cecum

no known function

Ascending colon

part of the large intestine that ascends from the cecum to the transverse colon

Transverse Colon

part of the large intestine that extends across the abdominal cavity and joins the ascending and descending colon

Descending colon

part of the large intestine that descends from the transverse colon

Rectum

The final part of the alimentary canal where waste is stored before being eliminated

Anal canal

The terminal part of the large intestine

Anus

The excretory opening at the end of the alimentary canal

Parotid gland

the largest of the salivary glands located below the 2 ears

produces majority of saliva

Sublingual gland

small salivary glands located under the tongue that secrete saliva directly into the mouth

submandibular gland

pair of glands located beneath the jaw

Liver

located in the right upper quadrant just below the diaphragm

produces bile

detoxification

can regenerate

Gallbladder

stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver and releases it though the common bile duct to the duodenum

we can live without a gallbladder

Pancreas

organ producing several important hormones including insulin

secretes pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine