Digestion

System
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What is digestion?
the breakdown of large insoluble
molecules into smaller soluble molecules
which can pass through the wall of the
gut into the blood.
mechanical & chemical breakdown of
food into nutrients.
chemical reactions breaking down food
and releasing energy from nutrients.
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Digestion System

Ingestion
Processing
Absorption
Elimination
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Ingestion

Primitive chordates were

filter feeders.

Jaw development allowed

more aggressive methods of
feeding

However, some of the largest

mammals retain filter
feeding (baleen whales).
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Tongue

(Primary Tongue)

Procurement and manipulation

of food; sensory.

present in sharks, bony fish and

amphibians

cannot move independently

An extension of the glandular

field of the pharyngeal floor is
used by terrestrial amphibians
to capture prey
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Primary Tongue: mesenchyme of

hyoid arch

present in sharks, bony fish and

amphibians

cannot move independently

An extension of the glandular

field of the pharyngeal floor is
used by terrestrial amphibians
to capture prey

Digestion System
comparison

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Vertebrate Digestive Tube

Myxini &

Chondrichthys

Non-Teleost
Actinopterygii

lampreys

oral cavity
pharynx

oral cavity
gill openings

oral cavity
gill openings

oral cavity
gill openings

esophagus

short

short

short

stomach

absent

present

present

intestine

simple with
spiral valve

simple with
spiral valve

simple with
spiral valve

cloaca

present

present

absent

Vertebrate Digestive Tube

Teleosts

Lungfishes

Amphibians

oral cavity
pharynx

oral cavity
gill openings

oral cavity
gill openings

oral cavity
gill openings
when larval

esophagus

short

short

long

stomach

present

absent

present

intestine

simple, NO
spiral valve

simple with
spiral valve

NO spiral valve,
small intestine
large intestine

cloaca

absent

present

present

Digestion System
internal organs

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 Brain: seat of the mental faculties of a fish.

Esophagus: part of the digestive tract connecting the mouth to the
stomach.
Dorsal aorta: vessel in the back that carries blood from the heart to
the organs.
Stomach: part of the digestive tract between the esophagus and the
intestine.
Air bladder: pocket in which urine collects.
Spinal cord: part of the nervous system that connects the brain to
all other parts of a fish.
Kidney: blood-purifying organ.
Urinary orifice: opening for eliminating urine.
Genital Orifice: opening related to the genital organs.

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Anus: end of the digestive tract.

Gonad: hormone-secreting sexual gland of a fish.
Intestine: last part of the digestive tract.
Pyloric cecum: cul-de-sac related to the intestine.
Gall bladder: small sac containing the bile.
Liver: bile-producing digestive gland.
Heart: blood-pumping organ.
Gills: respiratory organ of a fish.
Tooth: hard organ of a fish used to shred food.
Eye: sight organ of a fish.
Olfactory bulb: bulging part of the smell organ of smell of a fish.

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nares or external nostrils located on the underside

(ventral surface) of the rostrum anterior to the jaws.
A nasal flap separates the incurrent from the
excurrent opening. Water passes into and out of the
olfactory sac, permitting the shark to detect the
odors of the water.
The patches of pores on the head in the areas of the
eyes, snout, and nostrils are the openings of the
ampullae of Lorenzini. These sense organs are
sensitive to changes in temperature, water pressure,
electrical fields, and salinity.
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Internal anatomy of a shark:

large, long and very powerful selachian fish. It is viviparous.
Parietal muscles: set of muscles of the side of the head.
Vertebra: each of the bones forming the spinal column.
Neural arch: arched part of a vertebra related to the nervous
system.
Body: main part of a vertebra.
Dorsal fin: locomotive limb on the back of a shark.
Anterior intestine: part of the digestive tract just after the stomach.
Stomach: part of the digestive tract of a shark between the front
and rear parts of the intestine.
Kidney: blood-purifying organ.

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Internal anatomy of a shark

Spinal cord: part of the nervous system contained in the spinal
column.
Cord: outlined part of the spinal column.
Caudal fin: locomotive limb at the end of a shark.
Cloaca: opening shared by the genital organs, the urinary and
intestinal tracts.
Pelvic fin: locomotive limb situated beneath the pelvic girdle of a
shark.
Posterior intestine: part of the digestive tract just after the
stomach.
Liver: bile-producing digestive gland.
Pectoral fin: locomotive limb on the chest of a shark.

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Internal anatomy of a shark

Heart: blood-pumping organ.
Ventral aorta: blood vessel in the abdomen that carries blood from
the heart to other organs.
Inner spiracle openings: fissure containing the viscera.
Mouth: entrance to the digestive tract.
Pharynx: intersection of the respiratory and digestive tracts of a
shark.
Encephalon: seat of the mental capacities of a shark.
Skull: bony case of the brain.

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liver
spiral valve intestine
stomach

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ChemistryofDigestion
Hydrolysis digests foods:
Carbohydrates (starches) - become simple
sugars
Proteins - become amino acids
Fats - become fatty acids & glycerol
Nucleic acids (RNA, DNA) - become
nucleotides
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CarbohydrateDigestion
Begins in mouth - salivary amylase breaks down
starch
Stalled in the stomach
Mostly occurs in small intestine aided by
following enzymes:
a. Pancreatic enzymes - breaks starch into
maltose
b. Maltase - breaks maltose into 2 glucoses

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CarbohydrateDigestion
c. Sucrase - breaks sucrose into 1 glucose and 1
fructose
d. Lactase - breaks lactose into 1 glucose + 1
galactose
Last 3 enzymes produced by small intestine.
Following absorbtion, glucose, fructose, &
galactose transported to the liver where they are
converted to glycogen.

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FatDigestion
Gastric lipase of stomach breaks down some fats.
Most fat digestion occurs in small intestine.
bile emulsifies fat, exposing more fat to enzymes.
Bile salts link fat molecules to water molecules; (normally
fats are hydrophobic).

Pancreatic lipases continues fat digestion

subunits now cross into microvilli
subunits are reassembled into triglycerides, combined with
cholesterol, and transported to the circulatory system.
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ProteinDigestion
Stomach - pepsinogen converted to pepsin in the
presence of HCL. Pepsin breaks some of the
peptide bonds of some proteins.
Small intestine - Pancreatic enzymes trypsin &
chymotrypsin break proteins into smaller and
smaller units. The pancreatic enzyme
carboxypeptidase breaks peptides into free amino
acids. Several enzymes produced by the small
intestine further break peptides into amino acids.
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Amino acids- absorbed and transported to the liver.

used directly by the liver to make liver proteins
others converted to acetyl coenzyme A (used in citric
acid cycle)
other amino acids sent to various parts of the body for
protein synthesis.

Proteases must be activated before being used

Prevents them from breaking down pancreas (where theyre
made & stored).
Activation occurs when they come in contact w/ certain
chemicals found in the small intestine.

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NucleicAcidDigestion
Enzymes called nucleases break down nucleic acids
such as RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid) into nucleotide chains.
The pancreas produces ribonuclease and
deoxyribonuclease
small intestine produces nucleases that break down
nucleotides into smaller subunits.
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