Hard bone, soft cartilage
Two connective tissues with different matrices.
Stiff or springy
Bones hold up the body and are strong and rigid. Yet some parts of the skeleton need to bend a little and cushion.
Which kind of tissue would suit a part that must bend and cushion?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Bone has a rigid matrix of calcium and phosphorus compounds that gives strength and rigidity, while cartilage has a soft, jelly-like matrix that gives flexibility and cushioning.
Stiff or springy
Bones hold up the body and are strong and rigid. Yet some parts of the skeleton need to bend a little and cushion.
Which kind of tissue would suit a part that must bend and cushion?
- A soft, jelly-like tissue
- A very rigid tissue
- A watery fluid tissue
Push on bone and cartilage
Switch between bone and cartilage and push down on the middle.
The matrix makes the difference
The bone stayed straight, but the cartilage bent. Both are connective tissues, and the difference is in the matrix, the material around their cells. The matrix of bone is hard and rigid. The matrix of cartilage is soft and jelly-like.
Bone has a rigid matrix of calcium and phosphorus compounds that gives strength and rigidity, while cartilage has a soft, jelly-like matrix that gives flexibility and cushioning.
Notes
Bone: rigid matrix of calcium and phosphorus compounds, for strength. Cartilage: soft, jelly-like matrix, for flexibility and cushioning.
Check yourself
Which tissue has a rigid matrix containing calcium and phosphorus compounds?
Which tissue gives flexibility and cushioning?
What do the calcium and phosphorus compounds give to bone?
In the picture, why did the cartilage bend but the bone did not?
- Cartilage. Cartilage has a soft, jelly-like matrix.
- Bone — correct. Yes!
- Blood. Blood is a fluid connective tissue with a watery matrix.
- Bone. Bone gives strength and rigidity.
- Blood. Blood is a fluid connective tissue that carries nutrients, gases and hormones.
- Cartilage — correct. Yes!
- Strength and rigidity — correct. Yes!
- A soft, jelly-like matrix. A soft, jelly-like matrix belongs to cartilage.
- A red colour. The red colour of blood is due to haemoglobin in the red blood cells.
- Bone has a soft matrix and cartilage has a rigid one. This swaps them. Bone is rigid and cartilage is soft and jelly-like.
- Cartilage has a soft, jelly-like matrix, but bone has a rigid one — correct. Yes!
- They have the same matrix, but the cartilage is thinner. The two tissues differ in their matrix, not in thickness.