Digestive System Cards

Mouth

Contains teeth, tongue and salivary glands; teeth break down food, tongue moves food around the mouth.

Oesophagus

Uses rhythmic muscle movement to propel food (bolus) down to the stomach. This process is called peristalsis.

Stomach

Protein digestion starts here. Contains HCl. Enzymes e.g. pepsin (which works well in acidic environments) starts to break down protein and molecules. Semi liquid food is called chyme.

Small intestine

Breaks food down into smaller molecules, absorbs essential nutrients and transports the nutrients to the bloodstream.

Large intestine (colon)

Vitamins, minerals and water absorption occurs here. The appendix is attached to the large intestine, but has no modern use (evolutionary byproduct?)

Anus

Releases stool from the rectum

Rectum

Stores faeces (stool)

Pancreas

Produces enzymes (e.g. proteases) that help digest proteins and lipases that help digest fat. Slightly basic environment (enzymes work best). It also produces bicarbonate to neutralise the stomach acids.

Salivary glands

Lubricates food with saliva to make it easier to move around. Saliva contains enzymes (amylase) that help break down starch into sugar

Liver

Makes bile (stored in gallbladder) and injects bile into duodenum (start of small intestine), helps digest fat