Question

plant metarial is hard to digest. aves have two digestive chambers. proventriculis and ventriculus. compare the evolutionary adaptations of the digetive system in seed-eating birds and the herbivorous mammals to this chalenging diet.

Answer 1

seed eating birds:

seed eating birds need a special digestive process or a place for the seeds that they eat. this evolutionary adaptation is seen as a bag like structure in the birds which is found above the stomach region . it is called the crop.

fate of the seed:

these seeds needs to be abraded or eroded before it germinates into a plant. this is done with the help of gizzard which abrades the seed . stomach also releases acids that helps in the erosion of seeds before they start to germinate

evolutionary adaptations of seed eating birds is summarized as follows:

• variety of beak patterns to consume seeds
• since they do not have teeth for mastigation, gizzard is adapted to grind hard substances such as seeds
• two chambered stomach produces acids to erode the seeds consumed

herbivorous mammals:

in contrast with the birds,

• herbivorous animals have a four chambered stomach
• it has four chambered stomach to process the tough and coarse food that they eat
• when the animal eats food it goes into the rumen and reticulum chambers of stomach where microbes such as bacterias help in partial digestion
• after partial digestion the animal again takes the food into the mouth for further chewing which is called cud
• the cud then goes into the third and fourth chamber, omasum and abomasum where it is fully digested