AS1 Chapter 6 - Tissues and Organs Flashcards
What is a tissue?
Tissues are groups of cells of the same type that carry out the same (or a very small number of) functions.
What is an organ?
An organ is a structure that consists of several different tissues, each performing different functions that contribute to the overall functioning of the organ.
What are the major tissue layers in the ileum?
From innermost to outermost: Mucosa Muscularis mucosa Submucosa Muscularis externa Serosa
What is muscle?
In animals muscle is contractile tissue allowing movement.
What is mesophyll?
In plants mesophyll is the photosynthetic tissue in leaves.
Animals and plants are …
Multicellular
Cells become specialised according to their …
Function
Give an example of an organ in plants
The leaf
Give an example of a mammalian organ
The ileum
Where is the ileum found?
The small intestine
What is the function of the ileum?
- Final stages of digestion
- Absorption of the products of digestion
- Movement of undigested material along to the large intestine
What is the overall role of the tissues in the leaf of a plant?
- Photosynthesis
- Gaseous exchange (to facilitate photosynthesis and respiration)
- Transport
- Protection
The leaf is an organ of …
Photosynthesis
What is the ileum?
The ileum is the region of the small intestine where digestion is completed and where most absorption of the products of digestion occurs.
There is a vast surface area for digestion and absorption in the ileum provided by …
- Folds in the inner surface of the intestinal wall
- Projections called villi (singular: villus) that are present on the folded surface of the wall
- Microscopic projections called microvilli on the cell-surface membranes of columnar epithelial cells that line the villi.
What is the mucosa?
This is the layer in contact with the food in the gut lumen
What is the function of columnar epithelium tissue (within the mucosa)?
- This layer has column-shaped cells and lines the intestine.
- On their free surfaces the cells have microvilli, forming a brush border.
- Since digestive enzymes are bound to the membrane of the microvilli, this provides a huge surface area for digestion and for the absorption of the products of digestion.
- Some substances are taken up partly by diffusion and partly by active transport; others are taken up by pinocytosis.
- There are numerous mitochondria to aid active transport.
- The cells of the epithelium are short lived.
What is the function of goblet cells (within the epithelium)?
- These cells secrete mucus.
- Mucus is slimy.
- Mucus provides a slimy protective layer.
- It protects the epithelium from the action of digestive enzymes
- and lubricates the lining as solid material is pushed along, facilitating the movement of food.
What is the function of villi (within the mucosa)?
- These finger-like projections increase the surface area for the absorption of the products of digestion.
- The villi contain blood capillaries into which amino acids and monosaccharides are absorbed, and lacteals (blind-ending lymph vessels) into which fats are absorbed.
Absorption Definition
Taking soluble molecules into the body
Assimilation Definition
Incorporating absorbed molecules into body tissues
What is the function of Crypts of Lieberkühn (within the mucosa)?
- These intestinal glands are found at the bases of the villi.
- The cells along the sides secrete mucus.
- The cells [stem cells] lining the bottom of the crypts are in a state of continuous division; new cells are continuously being pushed up by the division of cells deeper down.
- After a life of several days within the epithelium, the cells are pushed to the tips of the villi where they are sloughed off.
- Paneth cells are also present at the base of the crypts.
- Their function is to defend the actively dividing cells against microbes in the small intestine.
What is the function of the muscularis mucosa?
• The muscle fibres contract to cause movement of the villi, so improving contact with the products of digestion in the gut lumen.
What is the function of the submucosa?
- The submucosa contains blood vessels, including venules of the hepatic portal vein (carrying blood containing the digested food products to the liver) and lymphatic vessels, supported by connective tissue.
- The role of the submucosa is to transport the absorbed food products.