Where in the body is loose connective tissue found? What functions does loose connective tissue fulfill? Give examples. What types of connective tissue cells does loose connective tissue have; can a correlation be made between the types of cells found in loose connective tissue and its pervasiveness throughout the body? Are its fibers regularly or irregularly arranged; what properties does its fiber arrangement impart on the tissue?
Loose connective tissue pervades all parts of the body. The tissue makes up the framework for such organs as the liver, bone marrow, and lymph glands. Loose connective tissue's other functions include supporting, surrounding, or connecting non-connective tissue layers. For example, loose connective tissue holds internal organs in place in the body cavity, lines the heart and abdominal cavities, binds individual organs or parts of organs together, and attaches the skin to the tissues underneath. Loose connective tissue possesses large quantities of all the connective tissue cell types. This may explain how loose connective tissue is able to play so many different roles in so many different settings throughout the body. The characteristic loose, irregular make-up of the tissue's fibers and the large amount of ground substance found in loose connective tissue make the tissue very flexible and, consequently, permits movement among the non-connective tissues it connects.
