Chapter Summary

The gastrointestinal tract is a complex system that is important in ensuring our body properly digests food and gets the energy it needs. You learned the importance of the structure and anatomy of the system and were first introduced to how this structure functions to do what it is supposed to – digest nutrients and excrete waste! More specifically, you should have become familiar with secretions (and therefore enzyme function) of the GI tract, and how each enzyme is important for digestion and absorption. Additionally, it is important to recognize the site of production, and how production is stimulated. This is important for putting together real-life scenarios – and definitely helps you prepare for those long midterms! In terms of secretion, you should now be familiar with the paracrine, endocrine and neuronal action that is revolved around this, because these factors can be used to mediate many different bodily functions you will learn throughout HK*2810 and HK*3810! Using your knowledge of secretions, anatomy, and directionality, you can better understand how food passes through the GI tract with muscle contractions and sphincters, while mixing with the various secretions. Finally, it comes in contact with epithelial tissue so it can be absorbed. In a broadened sense, you now know how to apply these smaller topics and look at bigger, real-life situations, which will help you grasp the overall concepts.

Chapter Review Quiz

Test your knowledge with this question set that includes 25 different questions to review major concepts throughout this unit. Please note these questions are not to serve as a final review but to ensure that big concepts are understood. All details of this unit are not included in this section and therefore, should not be used as a sole study tool.