AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The main functions of the cecum are to absorb fluids and salts that remain after completion of intestinal digestion and absorption and to mix its contents with a lubricating substance, mucus. The internal wall of the cecum is composed of a thick mucous membrane, through which water and salts are absorbed.

Detailed explanation-2: -The primary functions of the cecum are to store liquids and salts that remain after gastrointestinal processing and absorption, as well as to combine these substances with a lubricant called body fluid. Water and salts are ingested through a mucus coating that covers the majority of the cecum’s contents.

Detailed explanation-3: -Food remains in the cecum for up to seven hours, ensuring the microbes have adequate time to digest the feed material. Energy producing volatile fatty acids, amino acids, and B vitamins are a result of this fermentation process that are then reabsorbed in the cecum.

Detailed explanation-4: -The microbial fermentation occurs in the digestive organs that follow the small intestine: the large intestine and cecum. Examples of hindgut fermenters include proboscideans and large odd-toed ungulates such as horses and rhinos, as well as small animals such as rodents, rabbits and koalas.

Detailed explanation-5: -The murine cecum is a major site of fermentation of dietary materials, and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).