Bio1152
Chapter
41
Animal Nutrition
Animals are
and must
ingest
food to meet their energy needs.
Animals can synthesize about half of the
amino acids required for protein synthesis, the rest are
amino acids that must be obtained from
food.
Animals with
simple
body plans have a
cavity that functions in both digestion and distribution of nutrients.
More complex animals possess a digestive
tract
(
canal) organized into specialized
regions
for digestion and absorption.
The human
digestive
consists of the
canal and various accessory
that secrete digestive juices.
Food is conducted
from
the
down to the stomach by
esophageal
.
The stomach secretes
juice made up of
acid (HCl) and the enzyme
, starting the protein digestion process and converting food to
acid
.
The longest section of the alimentary canal is the
intestine,
which is the major organ of
and
, moving the food toward the anus by
.
The first portion of the small intestine is the
,
where
acid
mixes with digestive juices from the
,
, and
.
The
intestine,
recovers
, and concentrates wastes into solid
, which pass through the
and exit via the
.
Herbivores need a long time to digest the
tough
in vegetation. and have
alimentary
canals
than carnivores.
Many herbivorous animals, including
such as cattle, have
chambers
where
microorganisms digest the cellulose.
Review:
Digestive System Function