The Achilles cord joins the calf muscle to the heel bone…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
- The Achilles cord joins the calf muscle to the heel bone. Which connective tissue is it, and what is it called?
- A strong band joins the thigh bone to the shin bone at the knee. What is it called?
- Why do the collagen fibres in these two lie in parallel rows?
- The dermis of the skin has fibres in many directions. Name the tissue and give the advantage.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Connective tissue links and supports other tissues. It has cells, fibres and a matrix. Loose connective tissue includes areolar tissue, which supports the epidermis and has fibroblasts, macrophages and mast cells, and adipose tissue, which stores fat. Dense connective tissue has many fibres. In dense regular tissue the fibres lie in parallel rows, as in tendons, which join muscle to bone, and ligaments, which join bone to bone. In dense irregular tissue the fibres run in different directions, as in the skin. Cartilage has cells in cavities of a solid, pliable matrix. Bone has a hard matrix rich in calcium salts and collagen. Blood is a fluid connective tissue made of plasma, red cells, white cells and platelets.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) A tendon, made of dense regular connective tissue. It joins a skeletal muscle to a bone.
Step 2. (b) A ligament. It joins bone to bone.
Step 3. (c) Both are pulled in one direction. Fibres in parallel rows resist that pull well.
Step 4. (d) Dense irregular connective tissue. Fibres in many directions resist a pull from any side.
Answer: (a) a tendon; (b) a ligament; (c) the pull has one direction; (d) dense irregular tissue, which resists pulls from all sides.
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