Discovery Stations: The digestive system

Discovery Stations: The digestive system Assemble the big body diagram for the digestive system. Then use it and navigate the attached stations to read and discover more about this system. Do not leave the station until you have answered all of the questions below and have labeled your BBD as needed Station 1: Mouth 1. Color and label the structures of the mouth on your BBD, including the tongue, teeth, salivary glands, hard and soft palate 2. What steps in the digestive process does the mouth play a role in? - The mouth plays an important role in ingestion, mechanical breakdown, propulsion, and chemical digestion. 3. What key accessory structures in the mouth contribute to accomplishing this role? - tongue, teeth, and salivary glands 4. Define the term bolus in your own words - During the chewing process, a ball-like mixture of food and saliva formed in the mouth 5. What would happen if our salivary gland failed to function? - When the salivary glands are destroyed or don't produce enough saliva, it can impact taste, make chewing and swallowing more difficult, and raise the risk of cavities, tooth loss, and oral infections. Station 2: Pharynx and esophagus 1. Color and label the pharynx, esophagus and epiglottis on your BBD.Include the labels for the trachea and esophageal sphincter where the esophagus meets the stomach. 2. What two organ systems does the pharynx play a role in? - respiratory and digestive systems 3. How do the soft palate and the epiglottis contribute to distinguishing between the functions of these two systems? 4. Why is it called “heartburn” if it is not actually related to the heart? - heartburn — or acid indigestion — is related to your esophagus. But because the esophagus and heart are located near each other, either one can cause chest pain which is why many people mistake heartburn for angina and vice versa. Station 3: Stomach 1. Color and label the stomach on your BBD. include a label of the pyloric sphincter where the stomach and the small intestine connect. 2. Describe the four parts of the digestive process that the stomach plays a role in. - The stomach is involved in four important aspects of the digestive system: motility, digesting, absorption, and secretion. Stomach glands produce stomach acid and enzymes that help break down food. The food is mixed with these digestive juices by the muscles in your stomach. 3. Where does the digestion of each of the following biomolecules begin from; carbohydrates, lipids and proteins? This study source was downloaded by 100000777576227 from CourseHero.com on 10-17-2025 05:54:56 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/202215397/Anatomypdf/ - Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are digested in the intestine, where they are broken down into their basic units: Carbohydrates into sugars. Proteins into amino acids. Fats into fatty acids and glycerol. 4. Define the term Chyme in your own words - A thick semifluid mass generated in the stomach and intestine during digestion from partially digested food and digestive secretions. 5. Why does your stomach need a thick internal layer of mucus? What can happen if this layer gets compromised? - Gastric mucus is a glycoprotein that serves two purposes: the lubrication of food masses in order to facilitate movement within the stomach and the formation of a protective layer over the lining epithelium of the stomach cavity. As the stomach wall is made up of the same proteins and lipids as many foods we eat, if this mucosal barrier is broken the stomach will begin to digest itself, forming a peptic ulcer. Station:4 Liver 1. Color and label the liver, gallbladder and bile duct on your BBD 2. What is the role of the liver in the digestive process - The function of the liver is to process the nutrients absorbed from the small intestine. 3. If bile failed to be secreted into the small intestine, what would be the resulting issue? - Constipation is caused by fat buildup in the intestinal wall, which causes slower transit through the digestive tract. 4. Explain what the hepatic portal system is and the critical role it plays in the digestive system. Why do you think this step in the process is important? - The hepatic portal vein delivers partially deoxygenated blood containing nutrients absorbed from the small intestine and actually supplies more oxygen to the liver than do the much smaller hepatic arteries. In addition to nutrients, drugs and toxins are also absorbed. The hepatic system is important because it collects blood from the intestine and passes it to the liver, the center for many chemical reactions concerned with the absorption of food into the body and the control of substances Station 5: Gallbladder 1. What is the role of the gallbladder in the digestive system? - The main function is to store bile until it’s needed in the digestive.. 2. Why can we not digest cholesterol if we have too few bile salts? - Bile acid breaks down cholesterol, so bile acid sequestrants, or separators, just help these acids along. The sequestrants take cholesterol-containing bile acids and form them into an insoluble complex — meaning it can't be dissolved in the body — which then leaves your body through your stool. A lack of bile salts can cause a buildup of toxins in our bodies. Bile deficiency can also cause a problem with the formation of hormones , as all hormones are made from fats. This study source was downloaded by 100000777576227 from CourseHero.com on 10-17-2025 05:54:56 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/202215397/Anatomypdf/ 3. How is the body able to adjust in order to maintain homeostasis without the presence of a gallbladder? - The bile duct enlarges and takes on the role of the gallbladder by storing bile until it is needed in the small intestine. In addition, The body maintains homeostasis by eliminating these substances through the urinary and digestive systems. An individual simply urinates and defecates the toxins and other nasty things from the blood, restoring homeostasis to the human body. Station 6: Pancreas 1. Color and label the pancreas on your BBD. 2. Differentiate between the structures and functions of the exocrine and endocrine components of the pancreas Exocrine function: Produces substances (enzymes) that help with digestion. Endocrine function: Sends out hormones that control the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. 3. Pancreatic juice is secreted into the …duodenum… via the …small intestine…and is essential for the breaking down of carbohydrates into …monosaccharides,…….., lipids into …fatty acids…….., and proteins into …amino acids… (Gtis) Station 7: Small Intestine 1. Color and label the small intestine on your BBD. Include a label for the ileocecal valve/sphincter where the small intestine connects to the large intestine, as well as the three subdivisions of the intestine. 2. How does the structure of the small intestine make it possible to accomplish its functions? - The lining is highly folded to form microscopic finger-like projections called villi which increase the surface area to help with absorption. 3. Describe what happens within each subdivision of the small intestine. Duodenum - the first part of the small intestine, receives digestive juices from other organs in the digestive system, including liver, gallbladder and pancreas, to help break food down Jejunum - middle section of the small intestine, nerves in the intestinal walls trigger its muscles to churn food back and forth (segmentation), mixing it with digestive juices. Other muscle movements (peristalsis) keep the food moving gradually forward. Ileum - the last and longest section of the small intestine, segmentation slows down and peristalsis takes over, moving food waste gradually toward the large intestine. Nerves and hormones signal the valve to open to let food pass through and close to keep bacteria out. Special immune cells line the ileum to protect against bacteria. Station 8: Large intestine 1. Color and label the large intestine on your BBD. Include a label for the different parts of the large intestine, as well as the appendix. 2. Describe what happens within each subdivision of the large intestine. This study source was downloaded by 100000777576227 from CourseHero.com on 10-17-2025 05:54:56 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/202215397/Anatomypdf/ - Cecum: absorb water and salts, contains the appendix Colon: A pathway for foods to pass through. Rectum: Collect and Separate feces from gas Anal canal: feces will be maintained here 3. Why does it make sense based on the functions, that the internal anal sphincter is made of smooth muscle and the external anal sphincter is made of skeletal muscle? - The internal anal sphincter with smooth muscle will send the signal to our brain that causes us to want to defecate, however the external anal sphincter with skeletal muscle, we will be able to control whether we want to defecate now or not. 4. Why should you be thankful for the rectal valves? - We should be thankful for the rectal valves since it is the final section of the large intestine closest to the anus and its function is to store the body's feces until defecation occurs. This study source was downloaded by 100000777576227 from CourseHero.com on 10-17-2025 05:54:56 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/202215397/Anatomypdf/ Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)