BIO 189 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Adipose Tissue, Microvillus, Intestinal Epithelium
Document Summary
Cells are the smallest units capable of carrying out most of the processes associated with life and are the basic units of structure and function in the animal and plant body. The human body is an aggregate of about 75 trillion cells. Small cells maximize surface area to volume ratio: distinguish (by structure and function) between epithelial cells, connective tissue cells, muscle cells, and cells of the nervous system. Epithelial tissues are sheets of tightly connected cells that cover body surfaces and line hollow organs. Lines organs such as the gut, the bladder, and blood vessels. Epithelial sheets compromise a barrier between the body and the environment. Connective tissues support and reinforce other tissues. Generally consist of dispersed cells in an extracellular matrix. Two types of cells in nervous tissues. Face either the environment or the lumen (these surfaces are frequently ciliated or possess microvilli) Specialized for the genreation, conduction, and processing of electrical impulses (action.
