Aim
The aim is to compare the integumentary systems and the digestive systems of a rat to that of a cane toad.
Introduction
The Integumentary system is defined by Adam.com, Inc. as an extensive system compromising of skin, hair, nails along with sweat and sebaceous glands. It also includes specialized nerve receptors which alert us to changes around us such as touch, cold, heat, pain, and pressure. These organs help in the way that they protect internal structures, protects against entry of diseases, temperature regulation and excretion through perspiration (2001). The integumentary system then becomes more specific within the different classes of vertebrates. This is proven when the integumentary system of a rat and a cane toad are compared. A rat is a mammal and therefore has many features common to all mammalian. Cane toads, however, are amphibians and so there are many differences to a rat. A rat’s body has a thick covering of hair which is unique to mammals. This provides insulation, vital for maintaining a constant internal body temperature. A cane toad, being an amphibian, has no hair on its body. There are some similarities in the skin though. Both their skins are made up of two layers, the epidermis and the dermis, though this is a far as parallels go. Augusta State University says that the epidermis of a cane toad is lined with a layer of dead cells (2006). This aids the animal by decreasing the amount of water lost through the skin. The dermis in most amphibians is very rich in capillaries because they breathe through their skin. The blood vessels must be near the skin for effective diffusion between the oxygen in the air to the blood. For the rat, the epidermis is the upper layer and protects the animal from t...
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...The caecum inside the rat was well developed and large compared to the toad. The rat’s caecum was connected to the digestive system between the small and large intestines and extended up to behind the stomach. The toad’s caecum was a lot shorter. The large intestine in both animals was rather similar. The colon was connected to the small intestine and had a much larger diameter but wasn’t as long. In both animals the large intestine was grey in colour though the toad’s colon had a pink tinge. The rectum then joined on to the colon. The rectum was a lot shorter but was even wider in diameter. It was also a darker grey. This grey would be caused by the faeces inside the colon and rectum.
Overall, though the integumentary system of a rat and toad had a great number of differences, the digestive system of both animals had many parallels despite some minor variances.
The main similarity between minks and humans in the digestive system is that they both serv...
The integumentary system has five main functions. The five main functions of the integumentary system are protection, regulation, sensation, absorption, and secretion. It consists of the hair, nails, skin, sebaceous and sweat glands. The largest organ of the entire body is the skin. The skin consists of three different layers. The epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous layer, these are the three layers of the skin. There is a layer that is deeper than the skin and contains body fat, that layer is called the hypodermis. Sweat glands are also called sudoriferous glands. One of the functions of the skin is to maintain homeostasis. Synthesis of vitamin D, excretion of urea, excretion of salts and water are a few things that the skin is also capable of. The top layer of the skin is called the epidermis. The epidermis contains five different layers. These layers are the stratum corneum, the stratum lucidum, the stratum spinosum, and the stratum basale. In the epidermis there are four different cell types. The keratinocytes which produce keratin, the merkel cells that are sensitive to touch, the langerhans cells which is a dendritic type off cell, and the melanocytes which produce melanin.
The integumentary system is composed of the skin and the structures related to the skin, which include the hair, the finger nails, the sensory receptors and the glands (Shier, Butler, & Lewis, 2009). This system has an important function since it provides protection to the body, helps to maintain body temperature, and contains sensory receptors (p.117). The skin has essential function such as regulating homeostasis and body temperature, also delaying the loss of water from deeper tissues, storing sensory receptor, synthesizing biomechanical, and discharging waste from the body (p.117). The skin has two layers: the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (inner layer) (p.117). There is also a subcutaneous layer or hypodermis (p.117). According to Shier, Butler, and Lewis 2009 “as its name indicates, this layer is beneath the skin and not a true layer of the skin” (p.117). This layer has the blood vessels that supply the skin (p.117).
One of the few differences in mink and human digestive organs is that the large intestine is much smaller in the mink and doesn’t coil around the abdominal cavity like the large intestine in a human organism. Furthermore, the size of the stomach in minks is required in order for them to eat much larger prey and be able to store more energy. The pyloric sphincter, which is useful in preventing the bringing back the food from the small intestine back into the stomach, plays a more significant role in the digestive process of the mink compared to a human. The mink and human are similarly related on an evolutionary chain.
The digestive system of the horse consists of a simple stomach, small intestines, cecum, large and small colons, rectum and anus. The horse’s stomach is comparatively small for its size. The stomach of an average horse has a holding capacity of about two gallons. This may be the reason horses eat small but frequent meals. From the stomach food moves to the small intestine, which is the main site of digestion. The small intestine empties into the cecum. The cecum; along with the large colon; make up the large intestine. Digestion in the large intestine occurs by action of bacteria and protozoa. (arg.gov.sk.ca)
Fig1. shows the human digestive system or the alimentary canal with different organs. (ladyofHats 2006).
The digestive system process begins at the mouth and finishes at the anus. This system includes the mouth→ pharynx→ salivary glands→ larynx→ oesophagus→ stomach→ liver→ pancreas→ duodenum→ small intestine→ large intestine→ rectum→ anus.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/cancer_center/HTBW/digestive_system.html ( I didnt copy direct quotes, however I had used the idea of the beginning in my research on the digestive system to help the reader better understand the system)
The digestive system is a very large system in our bodies. This system runs all the way from the mouth, where we put whole food in, to the large intestine that includes the rectum and anus, where waste exits. The digestive system is composed of the mouth, esophagus, liver, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus (Diseases). The gastrointestinal (GI) tract that makes up the digestive system includes all of these organs other than the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder, which are digestive accessory organs that food does not have to pass through to be broken down (The Digestive Sytem and Body Metabolism). The study of this system is called gastroenterology which broken down translates to the study (ology) of the stomach (gastro-) and intestines (entero-) (The Digestive Sytem and Body Metabolism). The
In order to use the food we eat our body has to break the food down into the smaller molecules that can process, it also has to excrete waste. The process begins in the mouth. It first begins with your mouth and your salivary glands. Just at the sight of the food your mouth begins to develop saliva, which will be used to moisten and lubricate the food as you are chewing your food. This is called the motility and mechanical processing. Once the food has been chewed its broken down by the chemical action of the salivary enzymes. You have smooth muscles and the movements of the smooth muscles help your food make its way into the esophagus. The digestive tube is mainly lined with four layers. There are smooth muscles called sphincters that are between the junctions of the GI tract. These sphincters are what help the food pass through the digestive system and then they relax in order to deposit the food into the stomach. The main function of the digestive system is to break down food
The pancreas is one of the essential organs in the human body and belongs in the Digestive system. Out of all the internal organs, the pancreas is unique because the pancreas plays a role in both the endocrine gland and the exocrine gland. This means that the pancreas is a dual function gland in which is the reason why the pancreas is such a vital part of the digestive system. This research paper will talk about the anatomy, physiology, and the important functions the pancreas play to maintain homeostasis.
The small intestine is made up of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. In the small intestine food that has already been broken down by chewing and stomach enzymes is further degraded by additional enzymes. Some of these chemicals are secreted in the lumen (Health Line, December 9, 2014). Small intestine it absorb most of the nutrients from we eat, then there is the long intestine. The large intestine (colon) extends from the cecum to the anus and includes the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon, the sigmoid colon, and the rectum. (Healthwise Staff,2014). The large intestine is the last section of the gastrointestinal tract that performs and absorbing water and vitamins while converting digested food into feces. Even though it’s shorter than the small intestine in length, the large intestine is thicker then the small intestine. The last and finally part is the anus, the opening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste matter leaves the body. Anus is where all the food that goes in your mouth it comes back out of the anus, the anus is connect to the bottom of the rectum. In the digestive system there are includes accessory organs that assist in digestive processes which include salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The salivary gland is found around your mouth and throat, next is the liver. The liver is the largest intestine in the body it stores energy, removes poisons and digest food. Then comes the
There were a few observations proven to be different between the rat’s anatomy in comparison to the human anatomy. First of all, the rat has no gallbladder present in it’s anatomy which a human does. Secondly, the rat’s lungs appeared dark red in color where as a human’s lungs are pink in color. Also the rat’s liver has more lobes as does their lungs compared to a human’s liver and lungs. Besides these said differences, the rat’s anatomy is basically very similar to that of the human body.
Describe the process of food digestion within the gastrointestinal tract. In your answer, make sure to address the following questions: (19 marks total)
Hi there. My name is Albert and this is my adventurous story of my journey through a human. I was a delicious gourmet hamburger with fresh ingredients like salad, mustard and an angus beef pattie. I was dumped into a family feed box labelled with a massive golden arched ‘M’. Now, I’m quite an intelligent burger, unlike my other food companions and I love studying about the fascinating human digestive system when I went to Burgerton College. I’m here to tell you first-hand about my digestive journey into the human body! Here is a map of the human digestive system for your convenience to pinpoint where I am in my journey as I am recounting my story.