Question

Distinguish between intracellular and extracellular digestion

Answer 1

Hint:Digestion is the process wherein the large insoluble molecules are broken down into numerous small water-soluble food molecules which can subsequently be absorbed within the watery blood plasma.

 Complete answer:
The distinguishing points between both the intracellular and extracellular digestion processes are as follows –

Intracellular Digestion	Extracellular Digestion
This process takes place within the living cell.	This process takes place outside the living cell and within the cavity of the alimentary canal.
The digestive enzymes are secreted by the cytoplasm surrounding the cell ‘s interior into the food vacuole.	The digestive enzymes are secreted by the presence of specialised cells present within the cavity of the alimentary canal.
The products of intracellular digestion later diffuse through the cytoplasm.	The products of the extracellular digestion diffuse through the intestinal walls across various regions of the body.
This is a less efficient method than the extracellular digestion.	This is a more efficient method than the intracellular digestion.
This process of intracellular digestion takes place within the unicellular organism.	This process of extracellular digestion takes place within the multicellular organism.
Examples: Amoeba, Paramecium	Examples: Humans, Fungi, etc

Additional information:The benefits of extracellular digestion over intracellular digestion:
>Ingestion of large food particles can be done easily.
>There are specialised enzymes which are involved in breakdown of food particles.
>The digestion of different particles are done in different regions, for example, protein digestion takes place in both stomach and small intestine.
Note:The digestive tract of the living cells is a long twisting tube starting from your mouth and ending within the anus.