Final answer:
Less elastic tissue and more smooth muscle in arteries improve blood flow regulation by allowing for more effective vasoconstriction and vasodilation. This feature is important in muscular arteries that are farther from the heart where blood pressure has eased and the ability to expand is less critical.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is better to have less elastic tissue and more smooth muscle in arteries as this combination plays a crucial role in blood flow regulation. Arteries that are farther from the heart, and thus experience a lower pressure of blood flow, have an increased amount of smooth muscle in their tunica media and a decreased amount of elastic fibers. This increase in smooth muscle content allows these arteries - known as muscular arteries - to effectively regulate blood flow by adjusting their diameter through vasoconstriction and vasodilation. The reduced quantity of elastic fibers makes these arteries less capable of expanding, which is not as problematic in these areas since the blood pressure has already eased compared to that closer to the heart.
Conversely, arteries closer to the heart have a higher percentage of elastic fibers to accommodate the surge of blood with each heartbeat. The elasticity of these fibers allows the arteries to expand and then recoil, which helps maintain the pressure gradient essential for the blood movement through the arterial system. Therefore, the correct answer to why it is better to have less elastic tissue and more smooth muscle is (a) Improved blood flow regulation.