8 The Digestive System Free Online FlashCards

What is the gastrointestinal (GI) tract?

The gastrointestinal tract is a continuous passage that carries food from the mouth to the anus.

What route does food follow through the digestive tract?

Food follows this route: mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.

What does salivary amylase begin to digest?

Salivary amylase begins the digestion of starch in the mouth.

What is peristalsis?

Peristalsis is a series of coordinated muscular waves that propels digestive contents through the tract.

What roles do stomach acid and pepsin play?

The stomach’s acidic gastric juice helps unfold proteins and kill many microbes; pepsin begins protein digestion.

How do villi and microvilli aid absorption?

Folds, villi, and microvilli greatly increase the small intestine’s absorptive surface area.

What does the gallbladder do with bile?

The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, then releases it into the duodenum.

How does bile help with fat digestion?

Bile emulsifies large fat globules into smaller droplets, helping digestive enzymes act on fats. Bile is not itself a digestive enzyme.

What is segmentation in the small intestine?

Segmentation consists of localized contractions that mix intestinal contents, bringing chyme into contact with digestive juices and the absorptive surface.

What are carbohydrates broken down into?

Carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars, such as glucose.

How are most long-chain fats transported after absorption?

Most long-chain fats enter intestinal lymphatic vessels called lacteals before reaching the bloodstream.

What is chyme?

Chyme is the semifluid mixture formed when the stomach churns food with gastric juice.