colon

(noun)

part of the large intestine; the final segment of the digestive system, after (distal to) the ileum and before (proximal to) the anus

Related Terms

Examples of colon in the following topics:

  • Elimination

    • Undigested food enters the colon where water is reabsorbed into the body and excess waste is eliminated from the anus.
    • After food passes through the small intestine, the undigested food material enters the colon, where most of the water is reabsorbed.
    • Recall that the colon is also home to the microflora called "intestinal flora" that aid in the digestion process .
    • The semi-solid waste is moved through the colon by peristaltic movements of the muscle and is stored in the rectum.
    • Constipation is a condition where the feces are hardened because of excess water removal in the colon.

  • Digestive System: Small and Large Intestines

    • The undigested food is sent from the ileum to the colon through the ileocecal valve via peristaltic movements of the muscle.
    • It has three parts: the cecum, the colon, and the rectum.
    • The cecum joins the ileum to the colon.
    • The colon, home to many bacteria or "intestinal flora" that aid in the digestive processes, can be divided into four regions: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon, and the sigmoid colon.
    • The main functions of the colon are to extract the water and mineral salts from undigested food and to store waste material.

  • Evolution of Land Plants

    • The major event to mark the Ordovician, more than 500 million years ago, was the colonization of land by the ancestors of modern land plants.
    • How organisms acquired traits that allow them to colonize new environments, and how the contemporary ecosystem is shaped, are fundamental questions of evolution.
    • This luxuriant vegetation helped enrich the atmosphere in oxygen, making it easier for air-breathing animals to colonize dry land.

  • Cancer and Translational Control

    • An example of how the expression of an alternative form of a protein can have dramatically different outcomes is seen in colon cancer cells.
    • However, in colon cancer cells, expression of the long form results in increased cell growth instead of cell death.

  • Biofilms and Disease

    • They produce dental plaque and colonize catheters, prostheses, transcutaneous and orthopedic devices, contact lenses, and internal devices such as pacemakers.
    • Biofilms are also related to diseases contracted from food because they colonize the surfaces of vegetable leaves and meat, as well as food-processing equipment that is not adequately cleaned.

  • Ecological Succession

    • In primary succession, newly-exposed or newly-formed land is colonized by living things.

  • Bacterial Foodborne Diseases

    • They readily colonize the surface of any type of material.
    • Most of the time, prokaryotes colonize food and food-processing equipment in the form of a biofilm.

  • Plant Adaptations to Life on Land

    • Third, land plants evolved before land animals; therefore, until dry land was also colonized by animals, no predators threatened plant life.
    • Another strategy is to colonize environments where droughts are uncommon.
    • The most successful adaptation solution was the development of new structures that gave plants the advantage when colonizing new and dry environments.

  • Extremophiles and Biofilms

    • Biofilms are present almost everywhere: they can cause the clogging of pipes and readily colonize surfaces in industrial settings.
    • They also colonize household surfaces, such as kitchen counters, cutting boards, sinks, and toilets, as well as places on the human body, such as the surfaces of our teeth.
    • During stage 5, dispersal, the biofilm matrix is partly broken down, allowing some bacteria to escape and colonize another surface.

  • Glomeromycota

    • A long-held theory is that Glomeromycota were instrumental in the colonization of land by plants.