Humans are bipedal, terrestrial omnivores. As a species, we are adapted to quite a range of...

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Biology

Humans are bipedal, terrestrial omnivores. As a species, we areadapted to quite a range of habitats, from deserts to mountains andfrom rain forests to tundra. Ultimately, however, we are descendedfrom early hominids who evolved in African plains, and our bodysystems tend to reflect this. Your job is to determine how humansmight be adapted to specific environments if they had evolved toeat a herbivorous diet (grasses or leaves).

Write a brief description of the digestive system, andwhy it would look the way it does. Consider thefollowing:

  • What would be required to eat, chew, swallow, break-up, digest,and extract nutrients? You are encouraged to look up other(non-human; can be non-mammalian) animals that share this diet forideas.
  • What if humans were not omnivores, but had evolved for adifferent food source? In other words, it would still look*basically* like a human but would have some important differencesrelated to its diet.
  • What would the digestive system of a human that adapted to adifferent food system look like, and why would it look likethis?
  • You should consider the following parts of the digestive systemin your answer: Mouth & teeth, Stomach & upper digestivetract (including crop & gizzard if relevant), Intestines, andAccessory organs (spleen, gall bladder, liver).

Answer & Explanation Solved by verified expert
4.4 Ratings (804 Votes)
Humans are generally omnivorous can eat both plants and meats If human is converted to eat only the plant materials such as grasses and leaves may lead to evolve as a herbivorous animal So many anatomical changes will occur in the body based on the diet They can prefer eat only leavesFolivores fruits Frugivore seeds Granivore or all on the availability But in general the following changes will occurs on anatomically Mouth and Teeth Cellulose is the main organic component of the plant material and it is very    See Answer
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