Tissues

Question 1

Tissues

Answer 1

The structure of the tissue and the function it performs can be used to classify it into one of four basic types:

1. Epithelial
2. Connective
3. Muscular
4. Nervous

Question 2

Epithelial Tissue

Answer 2

• Is a covering or lining tissue e.g. outer layer of the skin
• The cells that make up epithelium are very closely joined together.
• They vary in shape from thin and flat to column-shaped and cubed-shaped.

Question 3

Connective Tissue

Answer 3

• Provides support for the body
• The cells are not close together like they are in epithelium. They are separated from each other by large amounts of material that is not made of cells. This non-cellular material is called matrix.
• Connective tissue includes bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and fat storage tissue. Blood is often classified as a connective tissue. The matrix (non-cellular material that separates the cells in connective tissue) of blood is the liquid in which blood cells are suspended.

Question 4

Muscular Tissue

Answer 4

• The cells of muscular tissue are often called muscle fibres.

- They are long and thin and can contract to become shorter. 
There are three types: 
1. Skeletal 
2. Smooth 
3. Cardiac

Question 5

Skeletal Muscle

Answer 5

• Makes up muscle that are attached to bones
• These are the muscles you feel in your arms and legs
• We have voluntary control over these muscles, so it is sometimes called a ‘voluntary muscle’.
• Skeletal muscle fibres are seen to have stripes, or striations, across them.

Question 6

Smooth Muscle

Answer 6

• Does not have any striations.
• Found in the walls of the stomach and intestines
• We cannot contract smooth muscle voluntarily, therefore it is sometimes called ‘involuntary muscle’.

Question 7

Cardiac Muscle

Answer 7

• Also known as heart muscle, makes up most of the heart.
• When heart muscle contracts, it pumps the blood.
• It cannot be controlled voluntarily.

Question 8

Nervous Tissue

Answer 8

• Made up of specialised nerve cells called neurons.
• Have long projections from the body of the cell.
• When part of a neuron is stimulated, messages can be carried along these projections from one part of the body to another.
• Nervous tissue is found in the brain, spinal cord and the nerves.