01:119:116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Gastrointestinal Tract, Gastrovascular Cavity, Esophagus

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Biological Science
• Course: 01:119:116
• Professor: D.Stern- Cardinale

Document Summary

Must ingest food, and cannot fix carbon. 4 stages of food processing (1) ingestion: food into digestive cavity; Macromolecules monomers: proteins can be absorbed as monomers. Mechanical digestion and chemical digestion (3) absorption. Cells take up small molecules (4) elimination. Undigested material gets passed out of digestive system. 2 methods: (1) intracellular digestion food vacuoles fuse with lysosomes within cells (2) extracellular digestion digestion in extracellular compartment. Continuous with outside: gastrovascular cavity, alimentary canal. Gastrovascular cavity cavity for digestion, broken down matter diffuses to surrounding cells. Alimentary canal tubes and compartments for digestion, interacts with outside (mouth opening, etc) Many degrees of specialization depending on species. Accessory glands secrete digestive juices via ducts (exocrine) Are exocrine glands ensure enzymes, etc. go to the right place in the body. Peristalsis waves of contractions in smooth muscle to move food. Sphincters ring-like, muscular valves (circular muscles) Regulate passage between compartments of digestive system. Regulate rate that food moves rather than digest.