Which digestive action involves wavelike muscular contractions in the GI tract?

Peristalsis is the digestive action that involves wavelike muscular contractions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This coordinated series of muscle contractions helps to move food along the digestive tract. It involves the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles lining the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. As the muscles contract behind the food bolus, they push it forward, while the muscles in front of the bolus relax, creating a wave-like motion that propels contents through the digestive system.

This mode of action is essential for the proper movement of food from the esophagus into the stomach and through the intestines, where further digestion and absorption occur. While segmentation does involve muscular contractions, it primarily serves to mix and break down food rather than move it along the tract. Sphincter contractions are localized muscle contractions that function to keep different sections of the GI tract separate and control the passage of contents, and while stomach action refers to the mechanical and chemical processes that occur in the stomach, it does not specifically describe the wavelike movement characteristic of peristalsis.