What is the difference between ingestion and egestion

In most multicellular organisms, the egestion takes place through the anus, whereas in unicellular organisms it takes place via cell membranes. However, in animals with the incomplete digestive tract that lack anus , the egestion is taken place through the mouth or via body cells.

The food material waste of most multicellular organisms including humans is usually in the form of semi-solid, which is known as feces. Feces mainly consists of fiber, undigested food, living and dead bacteria, water, fat, inorganic matter and proteins. The semi-solid texture is due to the low water content as the large intestine absorb the maximum amount of water before feces is egested. The color and texture of the feces mainly depend on the state of the digestive system, health condition, and diet.

Waste is stored temporarily in the rectum of the gastrointestinal tract until it is egested. Egestion is controlled by anal sphincter. Egestion: Egestion occurs via the anus. During mechanical digestion, food is broken down into small particles.

Chemical compounds in food are broken down into smaller compounds during the chemical digestion. Both mechanical and chemical digestion facilitate the absorption of nutrients by the body. The physiology of the digestive system of animals is shown in figure 1. Figure 1: Animal Digestive System. Protozoa are a type of unicellular eukaryotic animals. Their ingestion of food particles occurs by endocytosis.

They use two endocytic pathways: phagocytosis or pinocytosis for ingestion. In phagocytosis , pseudopodia are formed surrounding the food particle. The food particle is taken into the cell by forming a phagosome. In pinocytosis , food particles along with the surrounding fluid is taken into the cell by the formation of vesicles by the plasma membrane.

The digestion of food occurs inside the vesicles in protozoa. Egestion refers to the expulsion of the undigested material of food from the body. It is the final step of feeding of animals and protozoa.

Semi-solid feces are eliminated by the digestive tract of animals through the anus in egestion. Feces may include indigestible food such as fibers, dead cells as well as pathogens. It is made in the large intestine and is stored sometimes in the rectum before elimination.

In protozoa, egestion occurs by exocytosis. Doubt Ask Your Doubts. What is the difference between ingestion and egestion? Class 7th Biology. Answered Views. Solutions :. Dr Ankita Khemka Dhanuka. View More. Referral Program Distribute the referral code to your friends and ask them to register with Tutorix using this referral code. Your subscribed friend will also get 1 month subscription absolutely free.