Crop (anatomy)

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A crop is a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion that is found in many animals, including gastropods, earthworms^[1], leeches^[2], insects, and birds.

Contents 1 Bees 2 Birds 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Bees

Cropping is used by bees to temporarily store nectar of flowers. When bees "suck" nectar, it is stored in their crop.^[3]

[edit] Birds

In a bird's digestive system, the crop is an expanded, muscular pouch near the gullet or throat. It is a part of the digestive tract, essentially an enlarged part of the esophagus. As with most other organisms that have a crop, the crop is used to temporarily store food. Not all birds have a crop. In adult doves and pigeons, the crop can produce crop milk to feed newly hatched birds.^[4]

Scavenging birds, such as vultures, will gorge themselves when prey is abundant, causing their crop to bulge. They subsequently sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food.

[edit] See also

• Esophagus
• Proventriculus
• Gizzard

[edit] References

1. ^ Worm World: About Earthworms- http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/worm/pg000102.html
2. ^ R. T. Sawyer, Leach Biology and Behaviour, Volume II - http://www.biopharm-leeches.com/pdf/bioandbehav.pdf
3. ^ Honeybee Biology - http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/Plants_Human/bees/bees.html
4. ^ The Alimentary Canal in Birds - http://www.earthlife.net/birds/digestion.html

[edit] External links

• The Alimentary Canal in Birds

v • d • e Anatomy of torso, digestive system: Gastrointestinal tract Upper GI: to stomach Mouth • Pharynx (nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx) • Esophagus • Crop Upper GI: stomach rugae – gastric pits – cardia/gland – fundus/gland – pylorus/gland – pyloric antrum – pyloric canal – greater curvature – lesser curvature – angular incisure Lower GI: intestines Small intestine: Duodenum (Suspensory muscle, Major duodenal papilla, Minor duodenal papilla) • Duodenojejunal flexure • Jejunum • Ileum • continuous (intestinal villus, crypts of Lieberkühn, circular folds) Junction: Vermiform appendix • Ileocecal valve Large intestine: Cecum • Colon (ascending colon, hepatic flexure, transverse colon, splenic flexure, descending colon, sigmoid colon) • continuous (taenia coli, haustra, epiploic appendix) Lower GI: termination Rectum: Houston valve • rectal ampulla • pectinate line Anal canal: anal valves • anal sinuses • anal columns • Hilton's white line Anus: Sphincter ani internus muscle • Sphincter ani externus muscle Lower GI: lymph GALT: Peyer's patches (M cells)