A little reminder of what the Digestive System is for...
The digestive system is an extremely important system in the body. There are several organs that are part of the digestive system. Through chemical and mechanical digestion, it allows for us to break up food, so that we can absorb vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as sugars (glucose), to help our body function.
Once our food has been chewed by our mouth (using an enzyme called Amylase to break it down), going through our esophagus and ending up in our stomach where it is further digested in acid. It goes through our intestines (the small and large intestine). On the walls of these intestines are villi. Villi absorb these nutrients so that they can be circulated throughout out body to our cells. An example of a kind of sugar is starch, starch needs to be broken down into glucose molecules so that it can be absorbed and diffused into our villi, so that it may enter our blood. In our cells the mitochondria provides energy, we get some of our energy from glucose. Cellular respiration is the process in which the energy stored in glucose is used to make energy rich ATP. Through the process of cellular respiration, we make ATP, which gives us energy. One of the main goals of the digestive system.
The Digestive System of the Giants Clams:
Giant Clams settle in one spot for their entire life. They have created relationships with other animals that help them feed. The majority of bivalve mollusks filter particulate food, since they do not have "mouths". Including microscopic marine plants, phytoplankton, and zooplankton, using their ctenidia (respitory organ/gill) [2]. They get a majority of their nutrition from photosymbionts living in their tissue. Unicellular algae (often called zooxanthellae)[3] provide lots of energy for the mollusks. Their mutually beneficial relationship with this algae that exists in the tubeles, an extension of the stomach. The algae receives protection while the clam receives carbon by-products of photosynthesis. [4]
The digestive system is an extremely important system in the body. There are several organs that are part of the digestive system. Through chemical and mechanical digestion, it allows for us to break up food, so that we can absorb vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as sugars (glucose), to help our body function.
Once our food has been chewed by our mouth (using an enzyme called Amylase to break it down), going through our esophagus and ending up in our stomach where it is further digested in acid. It goes through our intestines (the small and large intestine). On the walls of these intestines are villi. Villi absorb these nutrients so that they can be circulated throughout out body to our cells. An example of a kind of sugar is starch, starch needs to be broken down into glucose molecules so that it can be absorbed and diffused into our villi, so that it may enter our blood. In our cells the mitochondria provides energy, we get some of our energy from glucose. Cellular respiration is the process in which the energy stored in glucose is used to make energy rich ATP. Through the process of cellular respiration, we make ATP, which gives us energy. One of the main goals of the digestive system.
The Digestive System of the Giants Clams:
Giant Clams settle in one spot for their entire life. They have created relationships with other animals that help them feed. The majority of bivalve mollusks filter particulate food, since they do not have "mouths". Including microscopic marine plants, phytoplankton, and zooplankton, using their ctenidia (respitory organ/gill) [2]. They get a majority of their nutrition from photosymbionts living in their tissue. Unicellular algae (often called zooxanthellae)[3] provide lots of energy for the mollusks. Their mutually beneficial relationship with this algae that exists in the tubeles, an extension of the stomach. The algae receives protection while the clam receives carbon by-products of photosynthesis. [4]
A diagram depicting anatomy of a clam.
Locations of organs.
Locations of organs.