Final answer:
Less elastic tissue and more smooth muscle in certain arteries are ideal for maintaining function at reduced blood pressures, enabling these vessels to regulate blood flow and blood pressure effectively through vasoconstriction. Smooth muscle is crucial for the operation of internal organs and maintaining vascular resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Having less elastic tissue and more smooth muscle in arteries farther from the heart is better because the blood pressure has decreased by the time it reaches these vessels, making elasticity less important. The thick tunica media of muscular arteries, ranging from 0.1 mm to 10 mm in diameter, enables effective vasoconstriction, which plays a key role in regulating blood pressure and blood flow. Smooth muscles in internal organs like the stomach and intestines aid in essential functions such as moving food or urine, controlling airflow in the lungs, and regulating blood pressure within arteries and veins.
Smooth muscle tissue is special in its ability to contract over a wider range of resting lengths compared to skeletal and cardiac muscle, which is due to its unique organization and the presence of an extracellular matrix that includes elastic elements. The single-unit type, common in the walls of visceral organs, facilitates slow and steady contractions through mechanisms like peristalsis, which are essential for moving substances through the body.