Compare And Contrast Monogastric And Ruminant Digestive Tract

The monogastric digestive tract is quite similar to the ruminant digestive tract, in the way they have many of the same parts and they process the food similarly. The mouth, oesophagus, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, small intestine, and large intestine in a ruminant species have similar functions to monogastric species. Both the digestive tracts start with the mouth, and although they are formed differently in order to eat the different diets, both the mouths are used to grab, chew and push the food back to the oesophagus. Both the mouths produce saliva to start the chemical digestion and to aid with the foods transportation down the oesophagus. Most monogastric animals, excluding dogs, produce the enzyme amylase, which is made in the pancreas
This is where the nutrients, VFAs, proteins, water and salts are absorbed and digested. Then the partially digested foodstuff continues on to the small intestine in both digestive tracts. The small intestine in both the monogastric and the ruminant digestive tract has three sections, the duodenum, jejunum and the ileum and it is the site of the final stages of chemical enzymatic digestion where nearly all of the nutrients are absorbed. In both digestive tracts, the duodenum produces bile and digestive juices to aid with the digestion and absorption of minerals, nutrients and vitamins. Bile salts are produced to help digest fats. The second part of the small intestine in both digestive tracts is the jejunum, which consists of finger like structures called villi. The villi increase the surface area, which increases the amount of absorption. Water and nutrients are absorbed in the jejunum, as is carbohydrates and proteins in a ruminant species. Nutrients such as small peptides, amino acids, vitamins and glucose pass through the villi in a ruminant species. The last part of the small intestine is the ileum, where, in both, any leftover nutrients are absorbed. Vitamin B12 is also absorbed. Then the final part in both tracts is the large intestine which is made up of three sections. The cecum, colon and the rectum. The cecum continues the digestion of fibre and breaks down any protein leftover. Then the colon, which is made up of four parts, the descending colon, ascending colon, transverse colon and the sigmoid colon, absorbs water and salts. In a ruminant species, vitamin K is produced in the colon. Finally, the waste products are stored in the rectum and are expelled as