Digestion - Digestion Alimentary Canal

8 important questions on Digestion - Digestion Alimentary Canal

What are the organs of the Alimentary Canal?

Mouth (oral cavity)
Pharynx
Stomach
Small intestine
Large intestine
Anal canal

What structures are in the oral cavity facilitate the digestion of food.? What doe sit do?

Teeth
Lips
cheeks
tongue
salivary glands  

Teeth mechanical digest food,  saliva starts breaking down the food and the tongue moves bolus (ball of food) to the pharynx.

What is the oesophagus?  What does it do?

The oesophagus is a thick walled structure that extends from the laryngopharynx to the stomach.

Main function is to move food from the mouth to the stomach by:
  • Secreting mucus into the oesophagus to aid movement of the food bolus as well as provide provide protection.
  • The food is propelled down the oesopagus through peristaltic action.
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What is the stomach? What does it do?

A large muscular organ located in the abdominal cavity.


What does it do?

The stomach turns food into chime by
Mechanically digesting food throught the process of churning (stomach contracts and relaxes)
Chemically digesting food through the addition of stomach acids.

What is the small intestine, What does it do? (name three things)

It is approx 6 metres in length.

What does it do?

Mechanical digestion of food (churning and peristalsis)
completes digestion of food
Absorption of nutrients into the circulatory system.
Secretes hormones that help control the sectretion of bile, pancreatic fluid and intestinal fluid.

What is the large intestine?

A large tubular structure comprimising smooth muscle that runs from the small intestine to the anus.

What does it do?

Absorbs water
turns the food residue from the small intestine into faeces.
Lubricating faeces to ease its passage and prevent damage to the anal canal

What is the Anus? What does it do?

The opening at the end of the alimentary canal.
It is where faeces leaves the body.

The internal sphincter remains tight until a stool enters the rectum,

The external is under voluntary control and does not release the stool until a convenient time.

What is deglutition? What is it facilitated by?

Also called swallowing. Is the movement of food from the mouth into the stomach. It is facilitated by the secretion of saliva and mucus and involves the mouth, pharynx and Oesopagus.

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