Which type of connective tissue provides flexibility and shock absorption to the vertebral column?

Question

.

Dense irregular

B.

Fibrocartilage

C.

Reticular

D.

Areolar

E.

None of the above

Answer 1

Fibrocartilage is the answer.

If you come to this question on a test and have to make a best guess, think about the "fibro" in fibrocartilage. This is associated with fiber which is itself associated with support in cells.

For a complete review of the other terms, here is a summary of the other types from https://opentextbc.ca/anatomyandphysiology/chapter/4-3-connective-tissue-supports-and-protects/:

In dense irregular connective tissue, the direction of fibers is random. This arrangement gives the tissue greater strength in all directions and less strength in one particular direction. In some tissues, fibers crisscross and form a mesh. In other tissues, stretching in several directions is achieved by alternating layers where fibers run in the same orientation in each layer, and it is the layers themselves that are stacked at an angle. The dermis of the skin is an example of dense irregular connective tissue rich in collagen fibers. Dense irregular elastic tissues give arterial walls the strength and the ability to regain original shape after stretching

Reticular tissue is a mesh-like, supportive framework for soft organs such as lymphatic tissue, the spleen, and the liver. Reticular cells produce the reticular fibers that form the network onto which other cells attach. It derives its name from the Latin reticulus, which means “little net.”

Areolar tissue shows little specialization. It contains all the cell types and fibers and is distributed in a random, web-like fashion. It fills the spaces between muscle fibers, surrounds blood and lymph vessels, and supports organs in the abdominal cavity. Areolar tissue underlies most epithelia and represents the connective tissue component of epithelial membranes, which are described further in a later section.