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Do cows digest cellulose by using parasitic cellulose digesting bacteria?
Ponyshine
Symbiotic, not parasitic. The cow has a 4 chamber stomach, one chamber called the rumen contains these bacteria. When the cow is chewing cud, she brings up partially digested grass, re-chews it, and swallows it again into a different chamber of the stomach.
Without these symbiotic bacteria the cow could no live on grass, as the mammalian digestive system is unable to digest cellulose into glucose. The bacteria do this for the cow, while the cow gives them a safe place to live with plenty of food (much more than they need for their own use).
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∙ 12y ago
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What role does bacteria play in the intestines?
Symbiotic (sometimes even mutualistic in the case of those which digest cellulose) and/or parasitic.
Why is your body not digesting vegetables?
vegetables contain cellulose and the human body cannot digest that
Why you cannot digest cellulose like the cattle do?
Cows do not digest cellulose cell walls because they, as an animal, are incapable of producing a special enzyme, called cellulase, to do the job. The cellulose-digesting bacteria in their rumen, however, are capable of producing such an enzyme and are thus responsible for digesting cellulose and helping the cow obtain essential nutrients from coarse plant material where she cannot.
What part of the digestive system is cellulose digestive?
None. Animals that can digest cellulose host special bacteria to digest the cellulose molecules, and humans do not host these.
What type organisms digest cellulose in the intestinal tract of humans?
None. Humans can't digest cellulose. Bacteria in the large intestine can digest some cellulose, creating gas and vitamin K.
Why are ruminant able to digest cellulose?
Actually ruminants cannot digest cellulose, they have symbiotic bacteria in a part of their stomach called a "rumen" digest the cellulose down to sugars and starches that the ruminants can actually digest in another part of their stomach later.
What effect does bacteria have on cellulose?
In cows and other herbivores, their natural flora of bacteria break down cellulose and make it something they can digest, but in humans our bacteria have no effect on cellulose, so for us it is indigestible.
Which organisms can digest cellulose and how they are able to do this?
Micro-organisms, such as bacteria, are able to digest cellulose. No mammals are able to digest cellulose. This is because cellulose contains a β(1,4) linkage that no mammalian enzyme can break. This is why herbivores must have symbiotic bacteria somewhere in their digestive system that help them break down cellulose.
What makes cellulose nondigestable in humans?
We lack the enzyme cellulase... and we don't have bacteria in our stomachs that do like cows, only bacteria can digest cellulose.
What are some organisms that contain cellulose?
Cellulose is hard to digest plant material found in plants such as grass and leaves.Herbivores such as Cows and giraffes can digest cellulose.certain types of bacteria can digest cellulose as well.
Can a human digest wood if he takes a pill that contains a cellulose digesting enzyme?
Try it son. Send us the pictures!!
Can ants digest cellulose?
Ants cannot digest cellulose. Termites can, but only because of symbiotic microorganisms in their digestive system. Termites are sometimes called white ants but they belong to a completely different insect order.
