Tracheids
Tracheids
nds. Since tracheids do not have open ends like the vessels, the water
has to pass from cell to cell via the pits. Tracheids are the chief water conducting elements in non-flowering plants. i.e.
gymnosperms.
Vessels or tracheae : Very long tube-like structures formed by a row of cells placed end to end. Vessels are present in flowering
plants i.e. angiosperms only. The transverse walls between the vessels are completely dissolved to form continuous channels or
water-pipes. Tracheids and vessels help in long distance conduction of water and minerals vertically upward from the root
system to various parts of the plant. Tracheids and vessels also provide mechanical support.
Xylem fibre : These are dead and lignified sclerenchymatous cells which are mainly supportive in function.
Xylem parenchyma : It is formed of living parenchymatous cells which helps in storage of food and radial conduction of water
and minerals.
Sieve tubes : Sieve tubes are slender, tube-like structures composed of elongated thin-walled cells, placed end to end. Their end
walls are perforated by numerous pores and are called sieve plates. Wall of the sieve tube is perforated.
Companion cells : These are associated with sieve tubes. These are smaller cells having dense cytoplasm and prominent
nucleus. The companion cells help the sieve tubes in the conduction of food material.
Phloem parenchyma : These are living and thin walled cells which helps in sideways conduction of food. It stores various
materials like resin, latex and mucilage.
Phloem fibre : Phloem fibres are dead sclerenchymatous cells. Phloem or bast fibres of some plants are the source of
commercial fibres e.g. Jute, Hemp, Flax.
Protective tissue
1. Epidermis
It is the outermost layer of all organs of the plant body which is formed from parenchymal cells. In epidermal cells outer walls
are thicker than inner walls.
It is mostly single layer but in desert plants it is multilayered for protection against water loss.
It protects the internal tissue from mechanical injuries and entry of germs.
2. Cork or phellem
Cork is the peripheral tissue of old stems and roots of woody trees and is formed due to activity of cork cambium or phellogen
(secondary lateral meristem).
Cork cambium (phellogen) produces new cells on its both sides, thus forming cork (phellem) on the outer side and the
secondary cortex or phelloderm on the inner side.
1. Epithelial Tissue
Word epithelium is composed of two words Epi-upon, Thelio-grows. (Means - A tissue which grows upon another tissue is called
epithelium).
It covers most organs and cavities within the body. It also forms a barrier to keep different body systems separate.
Epithelial cells are closely packed and have a small amount of cementing material, so there are very little intercellular spaces
present between the cells.
Due to absence or less of intercellular spaces; blood vessels, lymph vessels and capillaries are unable to pierce this tissue, so
blood circulation is absent in epithelium.
Hence cells depend for their nutrients on the underlying connective tissue.
Common locations : Walls of blood vessels, air sacs of lungs, esophagus, lining of mouth.
Function : Diffusion
Common locations : Lining of kidney tubules, ducts of salivary glands. It also forms the germinal epithelium of gonads.
Description : Tall slender cells ; may have microvilli at its free surface.
Glandular epithelium
Description : Tall, slender cells, some cells from the free surface invaginate inside to form secretory cells – goblet cells.
Function : Protection, movement of substances in a particular direction for e.g. of mucus in nasal passages, egg in oviduct.
2. Connective tissue - The cells of connective tissue are loosely spaced and embedded into a non cellular matrix. The matrix may
be solid (as in bone), soft (as in loose connective tissue), or liquid (as in blood).
Loose connective tissue is a mass of widely scattered cells whose matrix is a loose weave of fibres. Many of the fibres are strong
protein fibres called collagen.
Loose connective tissue is found beneath the skin and between organs.
It is a binding and packing material whose main purpose is to provide support to hold other tissues and organs in place.
Adipose tissue
It consists of adipose cells (Adipocytes) filled with fat globules in loose connective tissue.
Each adipose cell stores a large droplet of fat that swells when fat is stored and shrinks when fat is used to provide energy.
It is a special type of connective tissue which maintains link among different parts of the body.
It receives materials from certain parts of the body and transports them to the other parts. It constitutes the transport system
of animals.
It consists of two basic components – blood and lymph. Blood Blood is a connective tissue of cells separated by a liquid matrix
called plasma.
Lymph
Lymph is actually filtered blood which is similar to blood in composition except that it is devoid of RBC, platelets and some
blood protein.
WBC are present in abundance in lymph. Due to the absence of hemoglobin, lymph is colorless.
Fibrous / dense regular connective tissue
(1) Collagen white fibers The dominance of the (white inelastic) collagen fibers contributes to the considerable mechanical
strength of white fibrous tissue.
It can stretch upto one and a half times their length then snap back to its original length when relaxed.
It mainly consists of bones and cartilages that provide a strong supportive framework for the body.
In these connective tissues, the matrix contains numerous fibers and in some cases, deposits of insoluble calcium salts.
Bone It is a rigid connective tissue that has a matrix of collagen fibers and salt of calcium and phosphorous compounds, giving it
greater rigidity and strength.
Most of the skeletal system is bone. Haversian systems are the structural units of mammalian bone. It consists of Haversian
canals, Haversian lamellae and osteocytes.
Muscular Tissue
Muscular tissue is distinguished from other tissues by its unique ability to contract & relax and thereby perform mechanical
work.
The structural unit of muscular tissue is the muscle cells which because of its elongated shape is also called muscle fibre.
The contractility is due to the presence of contractile proteins (actin & myosin) in the muscle fibre.
Nervous Tissue
The nervous tissue, containing densely packed cells called nerve cells or neurons, is
present in the brain, spinal cord and nerves.
They receive stimuli from within or outside the body and conduct impulses (signals)
which travel from one neuron to another neuron.
(i) Cyton or cell body : Contains a central nucleus and cytoplasm with characteristic
deeply stained particles called Nissl's granules (i.e. clumps of ribosomes and rough
endoplasmic reticulum).
(a) Dendrites : These may be one to many, generally short and branched cytoplasmic
processes. Dendrites are afferent processes because they receive impulse from a
receptor or other neuron and bring it to the cyton.
(b) Axon : It is a single generally long efferent process which conducts impulse away
from cyton to other neurons. Longest cell in the body is the neuron because the axon
can be more than one meter long. Axon has uniform thickness but it has terminal thin
branches called telodendria. Terminal end buttons or synaptic knobs occur at the end
of telodendria.