The major means of propelling food through the digestive tract is __________.

peristalsis

Wavelike smooth muscle contractions that move foodstuffs through the alimentary tube.

peristalsis

Enzymatic breakdown of any type of food molecule.

Hydrolysis

Chemical or mechanical process of breaking down foodstuffs into simpler units.

Digestion

Process by which simpler chemical units pass through the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract into the blood or lymph.

Absorption

When we ingest large molecules such as lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, they must undergo catabolic reactions whereby enzymes split these molecules. This series of reactions is called ________.

chemical digestion

peristaltic waves are _______.

waves of muscular contractions that propel contents from one point to another.

The ______ is the serous membrane that lines the abdominal body wall.

parietal peritoneum

The sheets of peritoneal membrane that hold the digestive tract in place are called ________.

mesenteries

The layer of the digestive tube that contains blood vessels, lymphatic nodules, and a rich supply of elastic fibers is the ________.

submucosa