Final answer:
Dense connective tissue is critical for organ function, allowing organs to change in size and shape, with examples including the bladder's detrusor muscle and the stretch-response of the transitional epithelium.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dense Connective Tissue in Body Organs
The multi-layer tissue that stretches to accommodate distension of the body structures is known as dense connective tissue. This tissue type is essential for organs that change in size and shape during their regular functions, such as the lungs, stomach, and uterus. Its high collagen fiber content gives it resistance to stretching, while still allowing the organs to expand or contract as necessary without affecting nearby tissues.
Dense connective tissue is categorized into regular and irregular. While regular dense connective tissue fibers align parallel to each other providing tensile strength in one direction, irregular dense connective tissue, like that in the bladder, has a more random fiber arrangement that can handle distension in multiple directions.
An example of dense connective tissue's function can be observed in the bladder's detrusor muscle. The detrusor muscle consists of irregular bands of smooth muscle and is lined with transitional epithelium that allows the bladder to withstand large volume fluctuations.