Connective Tissue Location + Function

Question 1

Loose Areolar tissu

Answer 1

-loose fiber network, abundant blood vessels

Location: underlines epithelia, in Serous membranes, between muscles

Function: passage for nerves, blood vessels

Question 2

Reticular tissue (also loose)

Answer 2

-mesh of Reticular fibers, fibroblasts

Location: nodes, spleen, thymus, marrow

Function: supportive network for lymphatic organs

Question 3

Adipose tissue (also loose)

Answer 3

-empty cells within thin margin, nucleus pressed against cell membrane

Location/function - subcutaneous fat layer, organ packing

-space between adipocytes is occupied by areolar, Reticular tissue, and blood capillaries

Question 4

Dense regular C.T.

Answer 4

Location - tendons, ligaments

-dense parallel collagen fibers, compressed fibroblasts/ nuclei, forms waves / sheets

Question 5

Dense irregular C.T.

Answer 5

Location: deep skin layers, capsules around organs

Function: resist unpredictable stressors from many directions

-collagen fibers dense but irregularly oriented

Question 6

Hyaline Cartilage

Answer 6

Location: costal and articular cartilage, trachea, larynx, fetal skeleton

Function - esses joint movements, holds airways open, moving vocal cords, growth of juvenile long bones

-clear glossy appearance because collagen fibers are fine

Question 7

Elastic cartilage

Answer 7

Location: ears, tip of Nose

Function: flexible, elastic support for external ears, epiglottis

• abundance of elastic fibers, perichondrium more prominent

Question 8

Fibrocartilage

Answer 8

Location: intervertebral discs, menisci, pubis symphysis

Function: resists compression, absorbs shock

-large, coarse bundles of collagen fibers

Question 9

Blood (fluid C.T.)

Answer 9

Function: transportation, dissolve matter

-formed elements
1)red blood cells (erythrocytes) transport gasses
2)white blood cells(leukocytes) perform immune function
3) platelets (cell fragments) assist with blood clotting

-plasma = ground substance or matrix
-lymph is essentially plasma but no formed elements

Question 10

Long Bone Histology

Answer 10

1)compact bones is made of “cylinders” called Osteons running parallel
-contain mature bone cells called Osteocytes within Lacunae

2) bony matrix of Osteons arranged in concentric Lamellae (onion like layers)
-Canaliculi connect lacunae of Osteons

3) central (Haversian) canals run longitudinally down center of Osteons
-central canal for blood vessels and nerve fibers