Tissue Lab Relate and Review
This lab was all about the four different types of tissue: connective, epithelial, muscle, and nervous.
Connective tissue is the most abundant tissue in the body. It is made up of mostly the extracellular matrix and cells such as macrophages and mast cells. The function of connective tissue is to bind, support, and strengthen other body tissues. It can also store energy, start the immune response, acts as a transport system, and protects/insulates the internal organs. There are two types of connective tissues: loose and dense, a unique trait that differentiates it from other types of tissue. Epithelial tissues have a similar function to connective tissue in that it is meant to protect the body as it lines almost every surface of our bodies, inside and out. Epithelial tissue comes in multiple forms from squamous (flat) to cuboidal (cube) to columnar (columns). They can also be arranged in a single layer (simple), multiple layers (stratified), or in between the two (pseudostratified). Muscle, like epithelial tissue, comes in multiple forms: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. Skeletal and cardiac muscle are striated while smooth muscle lack the striations and line hollow organs. Lastly, nervous tissue is made up of neurons and neuroglial cells. Neurons consist of dendrites, a cell body, and an axon, which all help transport electrical signals throughout the body's nervous system.
Throughout this lab, I made many connections between the slides and the information we have been receiving in class from the readings and the lecture notes. The hands- on experience helped solidify the information presented to us in this class. One connection that I made was how much the structure of a tissue is related to its function. For example, cardiac tissue's structure contains gaps to allow the tissue to contract and expand which helps it pump blood throughout the body. Another is connective tissue, especially those in blood cells. The circular shape of the blood cell allows it to carry the maximum amount of oxygen to other parts of the body. By identifying either a cell's purpose or its shape, you can almost always deduce the missing information because of how related function and structure are. Also I realized how all the different types of tissue interact with each other. From bone tissue to skeletal muscle to neurons to skin, all the various types of tissues work together to form a fully functioning body. Without tissue, it would be impossible to exist and be the species that we are today.
Throughout this lab, I made many connections between the slides and the information we have been receiving in class from the readings and the lecture notes. The hands- on experience helped solidify the information presented to us in this class. One connection that I made was how much the structure of a tissue is related to its function. For example, cardiac tissue's structure contains gaps to allow the tissue to contract and expand which helps it pump blood throughout the body. Another is connective tissue, especially those in blood cells. The circular shape of the blood cell allows it to carry the maximum amount of oxygen to other parts of the body. By identifying either a cell's purpose or its shape, you can almost always deduce the missing information because of how related function and structure are. Also I realized how all the different types of tissue interact with each other. From bone tissue to skeletal muscle to neurons to skin, all the various types of tissues work together to form a fully functioning body. Without tissue, it would be impossible to exist and be the species that we are today.
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| Left: Human bone cell 400x magnification. Right: Blood smear 400x magnification |
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