Exercise 1- An Investigation into Tissues

16 Jun Exercise 1- An Investigation into Tissues

Question
Tissues, Organs, & Organ Systems:
Characteristics & Organization

Objectives

· Review the various types of animal tissues and determine their composition and function.

· Discuss the organ systems, the organs that comprise them, and their functions.

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Introduction

The formation of an animal depends on a hierarchy of organization: individual cells form specialized structures known as tissues; tissues form organs; organs form organ systems; ultimately, multiple organ systems integrate and a complex individual results. This lab begins with tissues. Using an online resource, you will investigate each of the four distinct tissue types. You’ll learn about their specific composition and the diversity of their functions, which range from forming the lining for body cavities to conveying electrical signals.

Organs are the next level of organization beyond tissues in the organizational hierarchy of the body. An organ is a structure that contains at least two different types of tissue functioning together for a common purpose. There are many different organs in the body: the liver, kidneys, heart, even your skin is an organ. In fact, the skin is the largest organ in the human body and provides us with an excellent example for explanation purposes. The skin is composed of three layers: the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous layer. The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin. It consists of epithelial tissue in which the cells are tightly packed together providing a barrier between the inside of the body and the outside world. Below the epidermis lies a layer of connective tissue called the dermis. In addition to providing support for the skin, the dermis has many other purposes. The dermis contains blood vessels that nourish skin cells. It contains nerve tissue that provides feeling in the skin. And it contains muscle tissue that is responsible for giving you ‘goosebumps’ when you get cold or frightened. The subcutaneous layer is beneath the dermis and consists mainly of a type of connective tissue called adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is more commonly known as fat and it helps cushion the skin and provide protection from cold temperatures.

.png”>Organ systems are composed of two or more different organs that work together to provide a common function. There are 10 major organ systems in the human body.

Laboratory Activities
Exercise 1: An Investigation into Tissues
Protocol:

Link to this website: http://bio.rutgers.edu/~gb102/lab_6/index.html. Read the first page of “An Introduction to Animal Tissues” in its entirety. Continue to the next page and carefully review the information included under “Interpreting Sections.” Click on the links to the orange and hollow tube to see how those sections could be interpreted. At the end of the Interpreting Sections page, click on the “Skip Sections” arrow under the pictures, and you will be taken to an outline that lists all the sections in this online lab. Investigate as many sections as you wish – I encourage you to view the slides of the various tissue types at different levels of magnification – but for the purpose of this lab, in addition to the introductory and interpreting sections information, you will only be responsible for the following:

· Epithelial Tissue (introduction only)

· Connective Tissues (introduction only)

· Muscle Tissues

o Skeletal

o Cardiac

o Smooth

· Nervous Tissues (introduction only)

As you review the required material, answer the following questions. The answers to these questions will be the basis of your grade for this section of the lab exercise.

Questions:

An Introduction to Animal Tissues:

1. What are the four basic types of animal tissue?

2. How do tissues relate to organs?

Interpreting Sections:

3. Explain how a cross section differs from a longitudinal section.

4. If you look only at a single cross, longitudinal or oblique section of an organ, can you get a complete sense of what that organ looks like? Explain.

Epithelial Tissues:

5. What is the significance of a basement membrane?

6. How do the cross sections of epithelial cells aid in classifying the different types of these cells? Provide two examples to illustrate.

7. Identify the primary functions of epithelial tissue.

Connective Tissues:

8. How does the composition of connective tissue differ from epithelium?

9. Which connective tissue has a liquid matrix? (You can either do a further investigation of this section of this lab to find the answer, or use your textbook.)

10. Identify the primary functions of connective tissue.

Muscle Tissues:

11. What features are common to all three types of muscle tissues?

12. What’s another word for muscle cells?

13. Which of the three muscle types appear to be striped?

14. Which of the three muscle types has/have cells that branch?

15. Identify the primary functions of muscle tissue.

Nervous Tissues:

16. When you stub your toe, which type of neuron would convey that information to the brain?

17. If you touch a hot stove, which type of neuron would cause you to pull your hand away from the heat?

18. Identify the primary function of nervous tissue.

Exercise 2: Human Body Systems Review
Protocol:

This activity is designed to help you identify human organ systems, and describe their functions. In addition, it will be important to understand and describe the types of interactions among organ systems in humans. Use your textbook and lecture notes to fill in the chart below. The first system has been done for you to serve as an example.

System

Structures

Function(s)

Interactions w/ Other Systems

Circulatory

Heart, arteries, veins, blood

Transport materials around the body

Works with respiratory system, as it carries O2 and CO2 between cells and lungs
Carries nutrients from digestive system to cells
Carries hormones from the endocrine system to the body
Lymphatic

Respiratory

Urinary

Digestive

Skeletal

Muscular

Nervous

Male Reproductive

Female Reproductive