Mammalian Digestive Systems Quiz

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Questions and Answers

In the context of mammalian digestive systems, what is the primary function of the buccal cavity?

Storage of food before digestion.

Production of digestive enzymes.

Absorption of nutrients.

Mechanical and chemical digestion of food. (correct)

Which of the following animals exhibits a specialized buccal cavity adaptation for its diet?

Kangaroos

Camels

Deer

Anteater (correct)

What is the primary reason for the presence of anaerobic bacteria in the foregut fermentation process of herbivores?

Breaking down cellulose into simpler sugars. (correct)

Absorbing water and electrolytes.

Producing hydrochloric acid for digestion.

Converting protein into amino acids.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the rumen, the first chamber of the ruminant stomach?

Production of hydrochloric acid in large quantities. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the abomasum in ruminant digestion?

Digestion of food using gastric enzymes. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of food hoarding?

To provide a food source during times of scarcity (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a larder hoard?

A hoard that is hidden in a single location (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a food item that can be stored long-term?

Peppergrass seed pods (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a common method used by animals to protect their food hoard from being eaten by other animals?

All of the above (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is kleptoparasitism?

The practice of stealing food from another animal (C) Signup and view all the answers

Why do some animals, like red squirrels, store food in a larder hoard?

All of the above (D) Signup and view all the answers

How do scatter hoarders relocate their caches?

They use a combination of visual landmarks, their sense of smell, and spatial memory to locate their caches (B) Signup and view all the answers

Why do gray squirrels notch white oak acorns?

To prevent the acorns from germinating (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following animal groups uses foregut fermentation as a primary means of digestion?

Sloths (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the cecum in the mammalian digestive system?

Water absorption and bacterial fermentation (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is most likely to influence the length of the small intestine in a mammal?

The animal's diet (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the thickened pyloric portion of the stomach in pangolins?

Mechanical breakdown of food (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of foregut fermentation?

Occurs in the stomach of herbivores (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an adaptation for energy conservation in sloths?

Well-insulated fur and countercurrent heat exchange (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'hoarding' refer to in the context of mammalian digestive strategies?

Storing food for later consumption (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these factors leads to changes in gut size in voles and white-footed mice?

Changes in food availability or quality (C) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Nutritional Ecology: Food Processing Systems

Mammals have diverse digestive tracts, tailored to their diets.
Digestive systems vary widely among herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
Different strategies for processing and digesting food include hoarding, caching, and storing.

Mammalian Digestive System: Cavities

Lips/bills and teeth are crucial for food handling, intake, and processing.
Taste buds enhance the sense of food quality.
The tongue aids in manipulating food and swallowing.
Saliva lubricates food—crucial for swallowing.
Digestive prep for the stomach is important.
Herbivores exhibit pronounced buccal cavities.
Myrmecophagy (anteaters, pangolins, aardvarks) have specialized extreme buccal cavities due to their diet of social insects.
Their mouths are long tubular structures for feeding.

Mammalian Digestive System: Esophagus

Transporting food from the buccal cavity to the stomach.

Mammalian Digestive System: Stomach

Digestion is common in the stomach's simple pH environment.
The stomach pH in some mammals (not forest animals) is 1-4, and they have hydrochloric acid to help break down food.
Foregut fermentation in mammals allows anaerobic bacteria to break down cellulose.
Herbivorous mammals (like monkeys, tree sloths, camels, deer, antelope, hippos, and kangaroos) have anterior portions containing anaerobic bacteria for this process.
The stomach in deer, antelope, and cattle has four chambers. The abomasum is the fourth or true stomach.
Ruminant stomachs have rumen fluid with 10 billion bacteria aiding microbial fermentation to extract energy.

Mammalian Digestive System: Cecum

An elongated tube connecting the small and large intestines.
Bacterial fermentation of unabsorbed plant fiber occurs in the cecum.
H2O absorption.
Food particles are processed to be small.
Wildebeest, wallabies, rabbits, horses use the cecum for more efficient forestomach fermentation.

Mammalian Digestive System: Small Intestine

Nutrient absorption into bloodstream happens in the small intestine.
Length varies based on food habits. Carnivores typically have shorter intestines compared to herbivores who need longer lengths to break down plant materials.

Mammalian Digestive System: Large Intestine

Located at the posterior end of the small intestine to the rectum.
Functions similarly to the cecum for water absorption.
Some mammals (horses, new world monkeys, pigs, and humans) have a colonic portion in their large intestines with microflora for additional fermentation.

Food Hoarding, A Strategy for Mammals

Hoarding (caching) equals storing food for later.
Carnivores' hoarding is usually short-term.
Granivores' and herbivores' hoarding is usually long-term.
Scatter hoarded food (small amounts) versus larder-hoarded food (large amounts).

Food Hoarding: Protection and Management

To prevent decomposition (through resistance to microbes and fungi)
Kangaroo rats use surface pits outside burrows.
Other animals store in underground chambers
To protect from green vegetation, pikas, gerbils, and mountain beavers cure plants in haypiles. They also select vegetation high in phenolics (secondary compounds) that are potent antimicrobials.
Some animals store in rock overhangs.
Insectivores (short tailed shrews) inject prey with toxins from their submaxillary glands.
Moles place stolen worms in cool places.
Some animals nip buds from bulbs to prevent sprouting, like mole rats and voles.
For white oaks, the acorns are stored but not notched, and some are notched to prevent germination.

Food Hoarding: Relocation of Caches

Deer mice and seeds are buried 2" deep in peat.
Grey squirrels have spatial memory relating to hiding spots, but sometimes the exact location is forgotten.
Niko Tinbergen conducted experiments (1965) involving placing caches for red foxes in which various experiments showed spatial memory in grey squirrels, and the ability of red foxes to locate cached items.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the functions of the buccal cavity and the adaptation of various animals' digestive systems. This quiz covers topics like foregut fermentation, rumen characteristics, food hoarding strategies, and more. Perfect for students studying mammalogy or animal physiology.