BIOL 252 Exam 1 Apply What You Learned Questions & Answers!!

What do you think would happen if the elastic fibers in tissues were distensible but not elastic? - ANSWER This would cause the tissues to be unable to resume their original shape and size once the stretching forces were removed. Predict what would happen if the tight junctions in blood vessels were not functional. - ANSWER Tight junctions make the spaces between the cells relatively impermeable to water and many solutes. Nonfunctional tight junctions in blood vessels would allow much of the fluid and solutes in blood to leak out of the vessel and into the extracellular fluid. Predict the consequences if the desmosomes in the outer layer of the skin were not functional. - ANSWER Desmosomes help to increase a tissue's mechanical strength. This is particularly important in tissues subject to high amounts of stress, like the skin. If the skin's desmosomes were not working properly, the skin would not be as resistant to mechanical stresses and could break down more easily.