Passage of Food Through the Pyloric Stomach and Filtering Mechanism of the American Lobster, Homarus americanus

Abstract

The digestive system of the American lobster, Homarus americanus is very complex whether it be the grinding of food particles in the cardiac stomach, or the gland filters of the pyloric stomach. There has been previous research on the anatomy of the digestive system; however, there is not enough research on the passage of food through these structures. It is predicted that, particles small enough to pass through the gland filters will enter the digestive gland; however, the exact sizes that pass through and the path of food particles is currently unknown. This experiment uses fluorescent polystyrene microspheres to observe the passage of food particles through the pyloric stomach and gland filters. Dissection, fluorescent light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are techniques used to investigate the passage of food particles through the pyloric stomach and into the digestive gland.