Bio-111, Lab 03: Animal Cells & Tissues

Flashcards covering connective tissue, blood, cartilage, bone, adipose, nervous, and muscle tissues based on lecture notes.

What is the general structural composition of connective tissue?

Cells within a matrix.

What are the main cell types in human blood tissue?

Erythrocytes (Reds) and Leukocytes (Whites); matrix is plasma containing hormones, clotting proteins (e.g., fibrinogen), and nutrients.

What is the primary function of erythrocytes?

Transports oxygen (O2) throughout the body.

Do mature erythrocytes contain a nucleus?

No; nucleus is absent at maturity.

What is the shape and size characteristic of mature erythrocytes?

Bi-concave discs; very small (about 7 μm).

How is oxygen carried in erythrocytes?

Oxygen is bound to hemoglobin protein in the cytoplasm.

What is the main function of leukocytes?

Immunological defense through phagocytosis.

What is distinctive about leukocyte nuclei?

Nucleus stains blue.

In which tissue are chondrocytes located and what are lacunae?

Cartilage tissue; lacunae are cavities containing chondrocytes.

What is the composition of the cartilage matrix?

Chondroitin; a rubbery matrix.

List some locations where cartilage is found.

Pinna (outer ear), tip of the nose, infant skull, and cartilage rings surrounding the airway (larynx, trachea, bronchi).

Which animals have cartilaginous skeletons?

Cartilaginous fish: sharks, skates, and rays.

What are the main components of bone tissue?

Osteocytes within lacunae; CaPO4 matrix; organized into osteons with Haversian canals.

What is the Haversian canal?

A central canal that contains nerve and blood supply in an osteon.

What surrounds the Haversian canal in bone tissue?

Alternating rings of CaPO4 matrix and lacunae (the lamellae).

What are canaliculi?

Channels that traverse the CaPO4 matrix; cytoplasmic extensions of osteocytes run through them to communicate between lacunae.

What is the term for the cytoplasmic extensions of osteocytes in canaliculi?

Filopodia.

What are adipocytes and what is unique about their appearance?

Lipid-containing cells with a large lipid droplet occupying most of the cell; nucleus and cytoplasm form a thin ring around the droplet; lipid droplet does not stain, giving an empty appearance.

What does adipose tissue store?

Stored lipids (fat).

What is the basic cell type of nervous tissue?

Neuron.

What are the parts of a neuron?

Soma (cell body with nucleus and organelles), dendrites, and an axon; neuroglial cells are also present.

What are dendrites and what is their function?

Dendrites are multiple processes that receive electro-chemical nerve impulses.

What is the function of an axon?

A single process that transmits nerve impulses.

What are the two muscle tissue types described in the notes?

Skeletal (striated, voluntary) and Smooth (involuntary); cardiac is not described in detail.

What are the characteristics of skeletal muscle described?

Cylindrical, striated, multi-nucleate, and voluntary.

What are the characteristics of smooth muscle described?

Cells with tapered ends, single nucleus, involuntary.