Week 7 Unit 2 worksheet
Structure and function of the human digestive system
A. Watch the 3 videos and complete the worksheet.
1. How many organs are involved in the digestive system?
10 different organs are involved in the digestive system
2. How many cell types are involved in the digestive system?
20 d/t types of cells are involved in the digestive system
3. What is the total length of the digestive system?
The total length of the digestive system is approximately 9m long
4. What is the main purpose o f the digestive system?
To turn the raw, complex molecules in your food into the simple nutrients that are
absorbed and utilized by the body
5. What are the 4 main components? And what is unique about their structure and
function?
Gastrointestinal tract:- A 30-40m^2 twisting channel that transports your food through
the body(Contains the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine,
rectum and anus), and is unique since it never enters the body despite being internal
Accessory Organs(Liver, Pancreas, Gall-bladder):- Organs that secrete digestive
juices and enzymes which help break down molecules before their absorption into the
bloodstream through the ileum
Mesentry:- A piece of tissue stretched over the abdomen which keeps the digestive
organs located there( mainly the small and large intestines) in place, allowing the to
function properly through correct organ connections
Enzymes, Blood, Hormones and Nerves:- As a collective, they help digest and
absorb the complex molecules ingested by sensing food, triggering enzyme release,
breaking down lock-and-key molecules, absorbing the nutrients ,and transporting them
throughout the body
6. State what the main processes that occur in the digestive system are?
Ingestion:- The placement of complex, edible molecules into the digestive system through
the mouth
Digestion:- The breaking down of complex food particles into simple, absorbable nutrients
Absorption:- The diffusion of nutrients from the ileum into the blood stream via the villi folds
Assimilation:- The transportation and use of said nutrients to/in d/t parts of the body
Excretion:- The collection of waste materials and their expulsion from the body
7. Outline the main mechanical and chemical processes that occur in the digestive system.
8. Outline the main mechanical and chemical processes that occur in the digestive system.
Mastication:- the act of mechanically digesting food using your mouth(chewing), to form a
food bolus
Peristalsis:- The wave like movement of esophageal muscles which push the bolus into the
stomach
Churning:-The motions produced by stomach wall muscles which breaks the food bolus
into smaller chunks
Segmentation:- The churning of small intestinal muscles to mix chyme with digestive juices
for effective chemical digestion
Chemical Digestion:- The use of enzymes and digestive juices to chemically break down
complex molecules into simpler compounds
Intestinal Re-absorption:- The reclaiming of water and vitamins from waste materials in the
large intestine
Defecation:- The removal of solid waster from the body through the anus
9. How does the digestive system ensure a one directional process?
It has sphincters at the openings of the gastrointestinal tract, which act similarly to
bottlenecks in blood vessels and prevent back flow of digestive juices and fluids into
d/t organs
10. Where and how are the macro molecules digested?
Substrat
Organ Enzyme Product
e
Salivary Sugars(Glucose..
Amylase Starch
Glands )
Pancreatic Sugars(Glucose..
Pancreas Starch
Amylase )
Duodenum Trypsin Protein Amino Acids
Duodenum Chymotrypsin Protein Amio Acids
Stomach Pepsin Protein Amino Acids
(From My Notes On Notion)
B. Collect a blank sheet of paper and have your computer closed draw and label the human
digestive system with the structure and function added. HINT: the anatomical model will be
available to look at. (Don’t look at your old diagrams!)
C. Take notes from the slides about the absorption of nutrients through the villi in the small
intestines. Make sure to note the following:
● The structure of the villi/villus
● The function of the villi
The villi are folds on the small intestinal walls that diffuse the nutrients from
digestion into the blood stream to be assimilated into other organs and organ
systems
● The way different nutrients are absorbed
Carbohydrates are absorbed in the form of monosaccharide sugars; proteins
get broken down into amino acids and lipids are turned into fatty acids and
glycerol when absorbed by the villi through the capillaries on their surface
● The purpose of the rich blood supply and the lacteal
● The rich blood supply provide a constant gradient for nutrient diffusion
while the lacteal vessels are lymphatic and absorb digested fats
● You should be able to draw and label a villus AND identify the structure from a
microscope micrograph/photo.
