What is the function of villi?

Answer 1

The villi are folds within the lumen of small intestine walls. The whole purpose of villi is to increase the amount of surface area to be able to absorb more nutrients. Without villi, food would pass too easily through the digestive system causing you to defecate (poop) more. And you wouldn't get as much nutrition our of the food that you do eat so you'd have to eat more as well.

Answer 2

There are three kinds of villi or villus if singular:

• The Intestinal Villi, which can be seen on the small intestines, increases intestinal absorptive surface area 30-fold and 600-fold, respectively, providing exceptionally efficient absorption of nutrients in the lumen. This is where the digested nutrients pass through diffusion.
• The Chorionic Villi, which can be seen on the outermost membrane of the fetus, gives a maximum area of contact with the maternal blood.
• The Arachnoid Villi, which can be seen on the second layer of the brain, allows the cerebrospinal fluid to exit the brain and then enter the blood stream.

Villi are found in our small intestine. These tiny structures are the sites of absorption of nutrients from the small intestine into the bloodstream. They are very well adapted to their purpose: * as there are millions of them throughout the intestine, surface area is increased such that enough nutrients can be absorbed to ensure our survival, * They are only a few tens of micrometres across. This makes the distance shorter for molecules to move across, which in turn makes the whole process more efficient. * a rich blood supply through the surrounding network of capillaries maintains a high concentration. This ensures that even more nutrients can be absorbed.

Answer 3

Villi are finger-like projections found in the small intestine that increase the surface area for absorption of nutrients from digested food. They contain blood vessels and lymph vessels to transport absorbed nutrients through the body.