NCERT Solutions for Class 9th Science Chapter 3 Tissues in Action
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
A tissue is a group of cells, similar in structure, that work together on one job. Cells → tissues → organs → organ systems → organism. This division of labour is what makes a large body efficient. Plant tissues are either meristematic (still dividing) or permanent (differentiated). Apical meristem adds length at root and shoot tips, lateral meristem adds girth, intercalary meristem lets grass and hedges regrow after cutting. Permanent tissues are simple (parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma — one cell type) or complex (xylem and phloem — several cell types working as one). The epidermis, with its cuticle, root hair and stomata, is the protective tissue. Plant tissues are organised into three tissue systems — dermal, ground and vascular. Animal tissues are of four kinds — epithelial, conn
- Chapter opener
- .2.1 Apical meristem
- .2.2 Lateral meristem
- .2.4 Permanent tissues; protective and supporting tissues
- (iii) Conducting tissues
- Simple permanent tissues
- Epidermis, xylem and stomata
- .3 Animal Tissues
- .3.2 How are various parts connected in our body?
- Connective tissues
Quick revision
| Tissue | Class | Key structural feature | Main function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meristematic tissue (apical, lateral, intercalary) | Plant — dividing | Small cells, thin walls, dense cytoplasm, large prominent nucleus, vacuoles absent, no intercellular space | Continuous cell division — growth in length, in girth, and regrowth after cutting |
| Epidermis | Plant — simple permanent (protective) | Single layer of flat, tightly packed cells covered by a waxy cuticle of cutin | Protection from injury, water loss, microbes; root hair absorb water; stomata allow gas exchange and transpiration |
| Parenchyma | Plant — simple permanent | Living cells, thin walls, loosely packed with intercellular spaces | Stores food; photosynthesises in green parts; forms air spaces that let aquatic plants float |
| Collenchyma | Plant — simple permanent | Living cells, corners unevenly thickened by pectin | Support with flexibility — stems and tendrils bend without breaking |
| Sclerenchyma | Plant — simple permanent | Thick walls due to lignin; most cells dead | Hardness and strength — coconut husk, walnut shell, seed coats, leaf veins |
| Xylem | Plant — complex permanent | Tracheids, vessels and fibres (thick-walled, sclerenchymatous, dead) + xylem parenchyma (the only living part) | Transports water and minerals from root upwards; also gives strength |
| Phloem | Plant — complex permanent | Sieve tubes joined end to end by perforated walls, companion cells, phloem parenchyma, phloem fibres; mostly living | Transports food from leaves to every other part of the plant |
| Epithelial tissue | Animal | Closely packed cells with very little space between them; flat, cuboidal, columnar or ciliated | Covering and lining — exchange, protection, secretion, sensation, absorption |
| Blood | Animal — connective | Cells (RBC, WBC, platelets) suspended in a watery, jelly-like matrix called plasma (55% of volume) | Transports nutrients, gases and hormones; clotting; defence |
| Bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament | Animal — connective | Cells in a matrix — rigid with calcium and phosphorus in bone, soft and jelly-like in cartilage | Bone: strength and protection. Cartilage: flexibility and cushioning. Tendon: muscle to bone. Ligament: bone to bone |
| Muscular tissue | Animal | Skeletal — long, cylindrical, unbranched, multinucleate, striated; smooth — spindle, one nucleus, no striations; cardiac — branched, one nucleus, faint striations | Voluntary movement (skeletal), slow involuntary movement (smooth), tireless rhythmic beating (cardiac) |
| Nervous tissue | Animal | Neurons — cell body with nucleus, dendrites, a long axon ending in axon terminals | Receives, processes and transmits messages; control and coordination |
Exercises
- Chapter opener — Think It Over Page 28
- .2.1 Apical meristem — Activity 3.1: Let us design experiments Page 293
- .2.2 Lateral meristem — In-text Questions Page 303
- .2.3 Intercalary meristem; characteristics of meristematic tissue — In-text Questions Page 313
- .2.4 Permanent tissues; protective and supporting tissues — In-text Questions Page 323
- (iii) Conducting tissues — In-text Questions Page 33
- Simple permanent tissues — Pause and Ponder Page 33
- Epidermis, xylem and stomata — Pause and Ponder Page 34
- .3 Animal Tissues — In-text Questions Page 343
- .3.2 How are various parts connected in our body? — Activity 3.2: Let us understand further Page 363
- Connective tissues — Activity 3.3: Let us perform Page 37
- .3.3 Can we control movement in our body? — In-text Questions Page 373
- .4 The Musculoskeletal System — Activity 3.4: Let us investigate Page 393
- .4.1 The musculoskeletal system in action — Activity 3.5: Let us observe Page 393
- .4.1 The musculoskeletal system in action — In-text Questions Page 393
- .5 Types of Joints — Pause and Ponder Page 403
- From one cell to an organism: Totipotency — Think as a Scientist Page 42
- End-of-chapter questions — Revise, Reflect, Refine Page 44
- Project work — The Journey Beyond Page 47
- Looking ahead — The Quest Continues… Page 47