The Digestive System
by Sofia Doyle, Jianna Franklin, Annie Rus, and Liana Stevenson
What is the digestive system?
The digestive system is a group of organs working together to convert food into energy and basic nutrients to feed the entire body.
How does it work?
It begins in the mouth with chewing, and ends in the small intestine. As the food passes through the gastrointestinal tract (GI), it mixes with
saliva that help break down larger molecules into smaller molecules. The body then absorbs the small molecules into the walls of the small
intestine, which is then brought into the bloodstream, delivering nutrients all over the body. Waste products pass through the large intestine and out of the body as stool.
What does it do?
Since the small food molecules are able to be absorbed into the small intestinal walls, this allows for food to be
converted into energy and can deliver important nutrients and specific needs to the rest of the body. This system basically allows us to eat and digest food properly.
What cells and tissues are involved in the system?
Tissues
There are four major tissue types involved:
● Epithelial: lines the digestive tract and is made up of goblet cells that secrete mucus
● Nervous: this tissue is located in the tract and transports electrical stimulus to the brain
● Muscle: the smooth muscle lines the walls of the tract and contract to pass food through
● Connective: found in and around the muscle along the tract, and the blood transports nutrients throughout the body
Cells:
● Mucus cells- produce mucus for protection and support
● Parietal cells- produce hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor
● Chief cells- pepsinogen (inactive form of protein digestive enzyme)
● Enteroendocrine cells- produce gastrin, cause gastric glands to increase activity
How is it organized?
It is organized by the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, colon ( large
intestine ), rectum, and the anus. Each of these organs play a major role in the digestive system.
How does it function?
1. Right after you finish chewing the food, it travels to your stomach through your esophagus which has a series of muscular contractions called peristalsis.
2. Once it reaches your stomach, it is broken down by powerful enzymes which transform it into a usable form. Once the items are fully processed, they travel to the small intestine.
3. As the food gets to you small intestine, they are in a semi-solid form and after the process, they are turned into a liquid like form which consists of water, bile, enzymes, and mucous.
4. Next it moves down to your pancreas. These pancreatic enzymes break down fat, carbohydrates, and proteins. The pancreas makes insulin which goes directly to your bloodstream and metabolizes the amount of blood in your bloodstream.
What is the Circulatory System?
The Circulatory System is the process of blood circulating
throughout the body. It consists of three systems that all help to maintain the body’s health. These are the heart (cardiovascular), lungs (pulmonary), and the arteries, veins, coronary, and portal vessels (systemic).
How does the circulatory system function?
The circulatory system works very closely with the digestive
system to get the absorbed nutrients distributed throughout your body. The circulatory system carries chemical signals from your endocrine system that control the speed of digestion.
Circulatory System: How does it work
-This system includes the heart and the blood vessels running through the entire body. The arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, and the veins carry it back to the heart. The heart is the pump for the circulatory system, it is made of muscle, and contracts to pump blood throughout the body.
What does it do?
-The circulatory system
delivers nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body.
How is it organized?
Blood cells (red and white blood cells) > cells in the
tissues that make up the heart > cells in the blood vessel
> cardiac tissues that make up the heart > tissues that make up the blood vessels > blood types > blood > heart >
circulatory system
Why does the Circulatory System need the Digestive System?
The Circulatory System needs the Digestive system to break down food into nutrients that are then sent into the bloodstream to be used by cells. Also has chemical
signal signs that are from the endocrine system to control digestion speed.
Why does the Digestive System need the Circulatory System?
These systems need each other because the Digestive system needs blood for the organs that help the
Digestive system function like the intestines, stomach, etc. So the Circulatory System would provide the blood
to the organs for the organ to carry out its function through the digestion cycle.
Bibliography
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"Circulatory System: Facts, Function & Diseases." LiveScience. Purch, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
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