Grasshopper (or cockroach) is a multicellular organism. So, in grasshopper (or cockroach) the different processes of nutrition takes place in fully developed digestive system. The digestive system is a system of organs and glands concerned with obtaining, digesting and absorbing nutrients from food. The digestive system of grasshopper (or cockroach) is divided into three parts:
1) Foregut
2) Midgut
3) Hindgut
Foregut
The foregut of grasshopper (or cockroach) consists of following organs: mouth, oesophagus or food pipe, crop and gizzard.
Midgut
The midgut of grasshopper (or cockroach) consists of stomach and ileum.
Hindgut
Colon and rectum constitute the hindgut of a grasshopper (or cockroach). After discussing the digestive system let’s now discuss the different processes of nutrition in grasshopper.
1. Ingestion
In grasshopper (or cockroach) food is ingested through the mouth with the help of forelegs and mouth parts.
2. Digestion
In grasshopper (or cockroach) the digestion of food starts in the mouth, where the saliva secreted by salivary glands mixes with the ingested food. The saliva contains some enzymes which digest starch present in the food. Saliva also helps in lubrication and softening of food. This partially digested food passes through the oesophagus into crop where it is stored temporarily. Then, the food passes into gizzard. Here, the food is finely ground by tough walls of gizzard. From gizzard, the food goes into stomach. In the stomach, the enzymes secreted by elongated glands called hepatic caeca get mixed with the food to digest it completely.
3. Absorption
The digested food is then absorbed by the walls of ileum when the digested good passes from the stomach into ileum.
4. Assimilation
The food absorbed by the walls of ileum is then supplied to all the parts of grasshopper (or cockroach) and is used to obtain energy, as well as for growth and repair of the body.
5. Egestion
The food not digested by grasshopper (or cockroach) goes from ileum to colon. Here water is absorbed from it. Finally, the undigested food is temporarily stored in the rectum. From the rectum the undigested food is removed out of the body through anus.
Test Your Understanding and Answer These Questions:
- Explain the various processes of nutrition in grasshopper/cockroach.