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Biology: Concepts and Investigations

Marielle Hoefnagels

Chapter 32

Digestion and Nutrition - all with Video Answers

Educators

Chapter Questions

00:20

Problem 1

What are the two main functions of food in an animal's body?

Sam Limsuwannarot
Sam Limsuwannarot
Numerade Educator
03:26

Problem 2

Does an alligator require more, less, or the same amount of food as a horse of the same size? Explain.

Raychel Briseno
Raychel Briseno
Numerade Educator
15:43

Problem 3

Biologists estimate that carnivores assimilate $90 \%$ of the mass in their diet; in contrast, most herbivores assimilate only $30 \%$ to $60 \%$ of their food. How do these differences in assimilation efficiency relate to the structure of their digestive systems?

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
00:32

Problem 4

Trace the movement of food in the digestive tract from mouth to anus.

Sam Limsuwannarot
Sam Limsuwannarot
Numerade Educator
09:25

Problem 5

Fast food restaurants in the United States must display calorie counts for their menu items. Speculate about whether knowing the caloric content of food will change consumers' food choices. If buyers did consider calories when making purchases, could the incidence of obesity in the United States decrease?

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
08:13

Problem 6

Orlistat (Alli) is a weight-loss drug that inhibits the activity of lipases in the small intestine. Why would this be more effective than a drug that blocks the absorption of proteins or carbohydrates? Given that four essential vitamins are fat-soluble, what might be a side effect of blocking fat absorption?

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
10:07

Problem 7

Describe the events of starvation.

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
04:45

Problem 8

Write down the foods you ate today, and use nutrition labels to determine how many calories you consumed. Then, use calculators on the Internet to estimate how many calories you require each day based on your age, weight, gender, and activity level. Did you consume more or fewer calories than you needed? If you repeated these eating habits for several weeks, would you gain or lose weight?

Allison Reynolds
Allison Reynolds
Numerade Educator
07:47

Problem 9

Phytonutrients are plant-derived chemicals that are not essential to the human diet, but they may improve health. Use the Internet to research a phytonutrient. What foods contain the phytonutrient you selected? What diseases might consuming the nutrient help to prevent?

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
00:35

Problem 10

Calculate your body mass index using the formula in the text. How could you change your BMI?

Sam Limsuwannarot
Sam Limsuwannarot
Numerade Educator
03:09

Problem 11

Suppose you hope to determine whether consuming sugary drinks each day leads to weight gain. Design an experiment to test this prediction. How could you determine if the sugar in the drink or simply consuming extra calories leads to weight gain?

Allison Reynolds
Allison Reynolds
Numerade Educator
00:39

Problem 12

How do the circulatory and muscular systems interact with the digestive system?

Sam Limsuwannarot
Sam Limsuwannarot
Numerade Educator
08:08

Problem 13

Design an experiment to test the hypothesis that intestinal bacteria are essential to nutrient absorption in mice.

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
02:03

Problem 14

Many children believe that a piece of swallowed chewing gum will remain in the body for 7 years. Chewing gum is made of an indigestible polymer that does not dissolve in water. since the gum cannot be digested, what happens to it after it is swallowed? Given your answer, does the 7 -year timescale make sense? Propose an alternative prediction for how long it might take instead, and explain your reasoning.

Jesse Kooistra
Jesse Kooistra
Numerade Educator