PRIMATE DIGESTION - INTERACTIONS AMONG ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND FEEDING ECOLOGY

Food is vital for life. It provides nutrients for growth, maintenance, and reproduction, and is the source of energy that drives the chemica l reactions occurring in every cell.(1,2) However, most food, as it is initially procured, is not in a form suitable for use; it must first be broken down so that it can be transported through cell membranes.(1 ) The breaking down of food molecules via a system of both mechanical and chemical processes so that they are of use to the body is called d igestion.(2,3)