Which of the following is a function of connective tissue?

• A. Transportation
• B. Support and protections
• C. Storage
• D. Defense

Answer: (A)

Connective tissue has many roles, with a central one being movement of substances through the body. Blood, a type of connective tissue, acts as the body's transport system, carrying oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, hormones, and waste to and from tissues. This direct link to distributing materials throughout the body makes transportation a defining function of connective tissue.

Other functions—such as providing support and protection (bone and cartilage), storing energy and minerals (fat, bone minerals), and defending the body (immune cells in connective tissue)—are also carried out by connective tissue, but the transport role is the most fundamental and universally associated with connective tissue as a whole.