Module 7 Intro
1. Module 7 Intro
1.1. Big Picture
Module 7—The Digestive and Respiratory Systems
Big Picture
© sonya etchison/shutterstock
Eating and breathing are two body functions that you are very familiar with. Each action is associated with a specific system: digestion and respiration. You know that you must eat in order to supply your body with enough nutrients to function well. You know that you breathe in order to supply oxygen to cells for cellular respiration and remove carbon dioxide as a waste from cellular respiration.
Have you considered that you are exchanging matter and allowing energy to flow through your body by eating and breathing? Your body is like a bank. Transactions are always going on. Food and oxygen enter the body and, depending on the needs of your body, are either spent immediately or stored for later.
© swimnews/shutterstock
Carbon dioxide and undigestable wastes are withdrawn from your body through a variety of processes. Sometimes systems do not work properly and the proper transactions between energy and matter cannot be made. This can result in problems or disorders of the digestive or respiratory systems.
As you work through this module, you will explore the following essential questions:
- What are the chemical characteristics of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins and their corresponding enzymes?
- How are digestive enzyme functions controlled by the internal environment?
- How do the organs of the digestive system work together to digest carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins?
- In what way does the body facilitate the exchange of energy and matter from the digestive system?
- How do the principle structures of the respiratory system act to exchange matter and transfer thermal energy between the body and the external environment?
- How does technology provide solutions or limitations to the treatment of disorders affecting the digestive and respiratory systems?
In addition to lesson assignments and labs, there will be a module project to complete. For the module project you will have a choice of two extended responses. The purpose of an extended response is to help you take a closer look at a specific area of study. In the module project you will choose between investigating digestive enzymes through experimentation OR investigating the effects of smoking on the respiratory system.
When you are ready for more information about the project, go to the Module Summary for instructions.