Which of these is the first compartment reached by food in the ruminant stomach?
A. abomasum
B. rumen
C. omasum
D. reticulum
B. rumen
The correct answer is B. rumen.
In a ruminant's stomach, the first compartment reached by food is the rumen.
The first compartment reached by food in the ruminant stomach is the rumen.
Ruminants are animals that have a unique digestive system that allows them to efficiently extract nutrients from plant material. The ruminant stomach is composed of four compartments: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
To determine which compartment is reached first by the food, we need to understand the order of the compartments in the digestive process. When a ruminant consumes food, it initially enters the rumen. The rumen is a large fermentation chamber where bacteria and other microorganisms break down and ferment the ingested food.
After the rumen, the partially digested food moves on to the reticulum, which acts as a filtering chamber to remove larger particles. Next, the food passes into the omasum, which helps in further absorption of water and electrolytes.
Finally, the food reaches the abomasum, which is essentially the "true stomach" of the ruminant. The abomasum is similar to the stomach found in monogastric animals (like humans) and contains acid and digestive enzymes to further break down the food before nutrient absorption takes place.
In summary, the correct answer is B. rumen—the first compartment reached by food in the ruminant stomach.