Chapter 47 – The Digestive System
47-9
11. Saliva contains the hydrolytic enzyme, salivary amylase, which initiates the breakdown
of the polysaccharide _________ into the disaccharide, maltose.
12. Most digestion in humans occurs in the first 25 centimeters of the 6-meter length of the
small intestine called the _________________.
13. Scientists in Switzerland compared the total surface area of the small intestine in different
species of bats. When the calculations were done as if the inner mucosal surface was smooth,
the average inner surface area of the intestinal tube was 9.1 cm2 in one species. The
mucosal surface area increased to 48 cm2 when the villi were factored in and reached a total
of 0.13 m2 after adding in the membrane surface area of the microvilli. Approximately what
percent of the total surface area of the small intestine in these bats can be attributed to the
membrane surface area of the microvilli?
Clarify Question