Final answer:
True, epithelial tissues experience high rates of cell division as they are responsible for covering body surfaces and are regularly subject to wear, necessitating constant renewal of cells through division.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that high rates of cell division occur in epithelial tissue is true. Epithelial tissues cover body surfaces, line body cavities and organs, and form glands.
They are known to be avascular; hence, nutrients must diffuse or be absorbed from adjacent tissues. Due to their location and function, these tissues encounter significant wear and tear, leading them to have a remarkably high turnover rate.
As cells are sloughed off at the surfaces, new cells are continuously produced by cell division at the base, particularly in the case of the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, which undergoes constant renewal.
For example, epidermal cells in the skin are filled with keratin as they migrate from the lowest to the outermost layer, where they eventually die and are sloughed off.
The cells in the stratum corneum, the final, outermost layer of the epidermis, do not possess a nucleus or other organelles. Additionally, the stratum basale, the deepest layer of the epidermis, contains cells that continuously divide and replenish the skin's outer layers.