Periosteum Bone is surrounded by periosteum, a connective tissue continuous with ligaments that attach to bone. Cartilage Cartilage is firm, yet softer than bone, and often caps the ends of bones to provide for a suitable surface for articulation. Cartilage also provides support for structures such as the outer ear, nasal septum, and trachea, and connects the ribs to the sternum, allowing for greater expansion of the rib cage during breathing. Tendons and Ligaments Tendons and Ligaments are dense, regular, arrays of connective tissue containing cartilage and fibrocyte cells. The majority of this tissue is matrix.
Tendons connect muscle to bone.
Ligaments connect bone to bone. Bone Microanatomy Cells of bone proper include osteocytes, osteoblast, and osteoclasts. Other cells found in bone include chondrocytes, nerve cells of the periosteum, blood cells in the marrow, and fat cells in yellow marrow of the diaphysis. Osteocytes are bone maintenance cells and are found in bone spaces called lacunae. These cells control mineral storage in bone tissue.