Chapter-06 : Tissues

Tissues : Tissue is a group of cells having similar structure and function. In plants and animals
groups of cells called tissues carry out specific functions. E.g.- In human beings the cells of the
muscular tissue contract and relax and help in movements. In plants the cells of the vascular tissue
conduct water and food from one part of the plant to the other.

Differences between plant and animal tissues :

 Plant tissues : Plants do not move from place to place. Most of the cells and tissues in
plants provide mechanical support and strength. So most of the tissues consist of dead cells
because they provide mechanical support and strength to the plant.
 The growth of plants takes place only in some regions. So plants have tissues called
meristematic tissues which divide and help in growth and permanent tissues which do
not divide.
 Animal tissues : Animals move from place to place and need more energy than plants. So
most cells and tissues in animals are living cells.
 The growth of animals is more uniform so animals do not have separate dividing and
non-dividing cells. Animals have organs having specialized functions. So the organs
have specialized tissues.

Plant tissues : Plant tissues are of two main types. They are Meristematic tissues and
Permanent tissues.
 Meristematic tissues are of three types. They are Apical meristematic tissues, Intercalliary
meristematic tissues and Lateral meristematic tissues.
 Permanent tissues are of two types. They are Simple permanent tissues and Complex
permanent tissues.
 Simple permanent tissues are of three types. They are Parenchyma, Collenchyma and
Sclerenchyma.
 Complex permanent tissues are of two types. They are Xylem and phloem.

Meristematic tissue : Meristematic tissues are found in the growing regions of the plant like
the tips of root, stem and branches. They divide continuously and help in the growth of the plant.
They are of three types.
 Apical meristematic tissues are present in the tips of stems and roots. They help in the
growth of stems and roots.
 Lateral meristematic tissues are present in in the sides of stems and roots. They help to
increase the girth of the stems and roots.
 Intercalary meristematic tissues are present at the base of leaves and internodes and help
in the growth of those parts.
Permanent tissues : Permanent tissues are formed from meristematic tissues. They do not
divide and have permanent shape and size. They differentiate into different types of permanent
tissues. Permanent tissues are of two main types. They are Simple permanent tissues and Complex
permanent tissues.
 Simple permanent tissues are made up of one type of cells. They are of three types called
Parenchyma, Collenchyma and Sclerenchyma.
 Parenchyma consists of loosely packed thin walled cells having more intercellular
spaces. Some parenchyma cells in leaves contain chloroplast and prepares food by
photosynthesis. Some parenchyma cells have large air cavities which help the plant to
float on water. Some parenchyma cells of roots and stem store water and minerals.
 Collenchyma consists of elongated cells having less intercellular spaces and thicker at
the corners. They give flexibility and allow easy bending of different parts like stem,
leaf etc. They also give mechanical support to the plant.
 Sclerenchyma consists of long, narrow, dead thick walled cells. The cell walls contain
lignin a chemical substance which act like cement and hardens them. It gives strength
and hardness to the plant parts.
 Complex permanent tissues are made up of more than one type of cells. There are two
types of complex tissues. They are Xylem and Phloem. They are called vascular or
conducting tissues.
 Xylem consists of tracheids, vessels, xylem parechyma and xylem fibres. The tracheids
and vessels help to transport water and minerals from roots to all part of the plant.
Xylem parenchyma stores food and fibres help in support.
 Phloem consists of sieve tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma and phloem fibres.
The sieve tubes and companion cells transport food from leaves to all parts of the plant.
Phloem parenchyma stores food and fibres help in support.

Animal tissues : Animal tissues are of four main types . They are Epithelial tissue, Muscular
tissue, Connective tissue and Nervous tissue.
 Epithelial tissues are of different types. They are Squamous, Columnar, Cuboidal,
Glandular etc.
 Muscular tissues are of three types. They are Striated, Unstriated and Cardiac.
 Connective tissues are of different types. They are Blood, Bone, Ligaments, Tendons,
Cartilage, Areolar, Adipose etc.
 Nervous tissue consists of nerve cells called neurons.

Epithelial tissue : Epithelial tissue is the covering or protective tissue in animals. It forms the
outer covering like skin, outer covering of organs, inner lining of blood vessels, lungs, oesophagus,
etc. It protects the body and controls the movement of materials between the body and the
surroundings and between the parts of the body. The cells are closely arranged and have a fibrous
basement membrane.
  Squamous epithelial tissue consists of a layer of thin flat cells. It is present in the linings of
blood vessels, lungs, mouth, oesophagus etc. The skin has several layers of epithelial cells.
This tissue is called Stratified squamous tissue.
 Columnar epithelial tissue consists of tall pillar like cells. It is present in the walls of the
intestine. The columnar epithelial tissue in the respiratory tract has hair like projections
called cilia. This tissue is called ciliated columnar epithelial tissue.
 Cuboidal epithelial tissue consists of cone shape cells having a basement membrane. It
forms the lining of kidney, tubules and ducts of salivary glands and provides mechanical
support.
 Glandular epithelial tissue : Sometimes epithelial tissue folds inwards and forms a
multicellular gland which secretes substances. This tissue is called Glandular epithelial
tissue.

Muscular tissue : Connective tissue helps in the movements of the body. It consists of
elongated cells called muscle fibres. It contains a protein called contractile protein which contracts
and relaxes and helps in movements. Muscles which can move under our will are called voluntary
muscles. Muscles which do not move under our will are called involuntary muscles.
 Striated muscles are voluntary muscles having light and dark striations. The cells are long,
cylindrical and are multinucleated. They are also called skeletal muscles because they are
attached to bones. They help in voluntary movements of the body.
 Unstriated muscles (Smooth muscles) are involuntary muscles having no striations. The
cells are long and spindle shaped and is uninucleated. They are present in alimentary
canal, blood vessels, bronchi of lungs, iris of eye etc. They help in involuntary movements.
 Cardiac muscles are involuntary muscles having faint striations. The cells are long,
cylindrical, branched and multinucleated. They are present in the heart and helps in the
contraction and relaxation of the heart.

Connective tissue : Connective tissue connects and joins the different parts of the body
together. The cells of the connective tissue are loosely packed and the space between the cells is
filled with a jelly like matrix.
 Blood contains a fluid matrix called plasma which contains red blood cells (RBC), white
blood cells (WBC) and platelets. The blood transports gases, digested food, hormones,
waste materials etc.
 Bone is a hard and strong tissue. It consists of cells which are embedded in a hard matrix
containing calcium and phosphorus compounds. Bone forms the framework of the body
and supports the body and the main organs.
 Ligaments are a flexible tissue which joins bones together and helps in movements.
 Tendons are a fibrous tissue which joins muscles to bones and helps in movements.
 Areolar tissues fill the space between skin and muscles, inside the organs, around blood
vessels etc. It helps to repair the tissues.
  Adipose tissue is found below the skin and between internal organs. It contains fats and
helps to store fats.

Nervous tissue : Nervous tissue helps to carry messages from one part of the body to the
other and responds to stimuli. It is found in the brain, spinal cord and nerves. It consists of nerve
cells called neurons.
 Neuron (Nerve cell) has a cell body containing a nucleus and cytoplasm. It has hair like
structures called dendrites and a long part called axon having nerve endings. The axon has
a protective covering called myelin sheath. The neurons are joined together to form nerve
fibres. The junction between two neurons is called synapse.