They invest almost nothing in supportive tissue, instead taking advantage of the trees» investments to scramble up to the top of the forest and produce great flushes of leaves that bask brazenly in the full sun. (newscientist.com)
The stroma, or supportive tissue environment, shows discontinuities in the fiber length and disorganization in the orientation of the fibers. (sciencedaily.com)
The hepatocytes are first patterned onto surfaces dotted with tiny spots of collagen, and then surrounded by supportive tissue made up of stromal cells, which act as connective tissue and support the hepatocytes in carrying out their liver functions. (sciencedaily.com)