Question

Describe how the "digestive system" is an example of the following pillars of physiology: homeostasis, chemistry, physics, autonomic nervous system and energy.

Note: I am not looking for a very very specific answer. It can be related to these pillars in any way!


Homeostasis:

Chemistry:

Physics:

Autonomic Nervous System

Energy:

Answer 1

The answer to your query is as follows:

The "Digestive system" is an example of the following pillars of physiology:

1. Homeostasis-The human body needs nutrients (Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats and minerals) to maintain a constant internal environment in the body.The digestive system provides these nutrients by breaking them into simpler substances with the help of enzymes.

Infact, the bacteria in the intestine produce vitamins like biotin and vitamin K which helps in homeostasis of the body.

The bacteria in the gut also helps in maintaining the immune homeostasis by guarding against the harmful microorganisms entering the system.

Thus, the well developed arrangement of different organs in the digestive system helps in maintaining homeostasis.

2.Chemistry- The digestion process occurs in two kinds:

A. Mechanical digestion- It involves the physical breakdown of food into smaller forms to be easily digested and absorbed.Thus, it can be considered as a physical change which we study as a part of chemistry.

B. Chemical digestion- It involves the chemical breakdown of food into simple and absorbable forms with the help of digestive enzymes like salivary amylase, trypsin, pepsin etc.Thus, it can be considered as a chemical change which we study as a part of chemistry.

3. Physics- The saliva in the mouth lubricates the food and thus, preventing the friction between the semi-digested food particles and digestive tract.This prevents the digestive tract cells from rupturing.

Secondly, the surface area concept of physics can be applied in digestion as the increased surface area in small intestine (Villi) increases the absorption of food.

4. Autonomic Nervous System- It is the main pillar which maintains the functioning of  digestive system as it contains sympathetic division which helps in inhibition of gastrointestinal secretion at the time of emergency and parasympathetic division which performs just the opposite of sympathetic.

5. Energy- The digestive system is a good example of this pillar of physiology as many energy transformations occurs in digestion process.

A. The chemical energy of food eaten can be converted into another chemical form of energy stored in form of glucose, glycogen or fats at the time of digestion.

B. Secondly this chemical energy can also be converted into thermal energy released in the form of heat at the time of digestion.

C. It can also be converted into mechanical energy at the time of any kind of muscular activity or muscular movement.

Hope it helps!