CELLS

ANIMAL AND PLANT CELLS

 CELLS
∙ We established that all living
things have cells but what are
cells?
∙ What are some things they do?
∙ What is on the inside of a cell?
GENERALISED ANIMAL CELL
GENERAL PLANT CELL
WHAT IS A CELL?

▪ A cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms .

▪ A cell is the boundary between the living and non-living.
▪ Cells can only arise from pre-existing cells.
▪ An organism may be a single cell such as Amoeba or may consist of trillions of
cells like plants or animals, which are multicellular.
▪ Multicellular organisms have different types of cells that are specialised to carry
out particular functions.
▪ All cells carry out the same basic activities that keeps the organism alive.
 PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS

▪All plant and animal cells contain structures called organelles that are
specialised to carry out one or more vital functions
▪ Organelles are found within the cytoplasm of the cells and most are
surrounded by one or two membranes.
▪ The following structures are found in all plant and animal cells:
▪ a cell membrane or plasma membrane
▪ Cytoplasm
▪ a nucleus
▪ mitochondria (singular mitochondrion)
▪ endoplasmic reticulum
▪ ribosomes
 PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS

In addition to the above, plant cells also

possess:
• a cell wall
• chloroplasts
• a large vacuole
GENERALISED ANIMAL CELL
GENERALISED ANIMAL CELL
GENERAL PLANT CELL
GENERAL PLANT CELL
ORGANELLES
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TABLE

ANIMAL CELLS PLANT CELLS

Have a cell wall which is made of cellulose.
Usually have chloroplasts which contain
chlorophyll.
When present, the vacuoles are small and
scattered throughout the cytoplasm and their
contents vary.
May contain glycogen granules as a food May contain starch grains as a food store
store
Have a regular shape, usually round, square
or rectangular.
ACTIVITY

Draw and label a general animal and plant cell. Be sure to include
the following structures and the others that apply:
• a cell membrane or plasma membrane
• cytoplasm
• a nucleus
• mitochondria (singular mitochondrion)
• endoplasmic reticulum
• ribosomes
CELL ORGANELLES

▪ All cells are bounded by a cell membrane.

▪ Some cells possess a layer surrounding this membrane called the cell wall.
▪ The cell membrane is made of lipids and is selectively-permeable. This means that the
membrane only allows certain substances to pass in and out of the cell.
▪ By means of the cell membrane a cell can accumulate specific materials that it needs or
secrete others according to its function.
▪ The cell wall on the other hand, is present only in plants and fungi(except yeast). Animal
and protist cells do not posses a cell wall.
▪ Plant cells’ cell wall is made of a tough material called cellulose and fungi cell wall is made
of chitin.
▪ The cell wall, unlike the cell membrane is freely permeable. Its function is to protect the
cell and help to maintain its shape.
MITOCHONDRION AND CHLOROPLAST

▪ All eukaryotic cells posses mitochondrion.

▪ The mitochondrion is a double membrane bound organelle that carries out
aerobic respiration.
▪ Cells that use a lot of energy usually possess a lot of mitochondria.
▪ Plant cells possess another double membrane bound organelle called the
chloroplast.
▪ Chloroplast is not present in animal, fungi or protists.
▪ The chloroplast contains the pigment chlorophyll which absorbs light energy and
uses it to synthesise food in the process of photosynthesis.
VACUOLE

▪ Cells usually have one or more vacuoles.

▪ A vacuole is a single membrane bound structure that stores different materials for
the cell.
▪ Plant cells, when mature, possess a large, centrally located vacuole that stores
water, sugars, ions and even waste.
▪ The plant vacuole is essential to maintaining the plant’s shape.
▪ Animal, fungi and protists possess smaller vacuoles that often store food.
NUCLEUS

▪ The largest cell organelle in eukaryotes.

▪ The nucleus contains the DNA and RNA of the cell and by virtue of these controls
the activities of the cell.
▪ DNA contains genes that have information on the structure of proteins.
▪ DNA determines which proteins are made and proteins are key to the functioning
of cells.
▪ For instance, enzymes, which are proteins, speed up the rate of reactions inside
cells.
▪ All metabolic reactions take place at a rate able to sustain life because of
enzymes.
PROKARYOTES

▪ Are bacteria.
▪ Do not possess a nucleus; the DNA lies free in the cytoplasm.
▪ Do not possess cell organelles except ribosomes.
▪ The ribosomes are smaller than eukaryotic ribosomes.
▪ Always possess a cell wall but the wall is not made of cellulose.
▪ Prokaryotes have structures that eukaryotes do not.
▪ The prokaryotic capsule is a slimy layer of carbohydrates and proteins. It protects
the microbe and helps it to attach to host cells.
▪ Examples of bacteria are Eschericia coli, Salmonella enterica, Streptococccus, and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
▪ Bacteria may have many different shapes form round to spiral to cylindrical .
▪ Most bacteria have structures to help them move such as flagella or cilia but some
don’t such as spirochetes which are spiral.
COMPARISON OF PROKARYOTES AND
EUKARYOTES
FEATURE PROKARYOTES EUKARYOTES
SIZE 0.5-10 um 10-100 um
CELL WALL Always present; made of Present only in plants and
murein fungi; made of cellulose and
chitin respectively
CELL MEMBRANE One layer Two layers
GENETIC MATERIAL DNA is circular and is not DNA is linear and forms
complexed with proteins associations with proteins
NUCLEUS Absent, genes lie free in Present, bounded by a double
the cytoplasm membrane

ORGANELLES Generally absent Many different types present

RIBOSOMES Smaller Larger
RESPIRATION/ Carried out by infoldings Carried out by mitochondria
PHOTOSYNTHESIS of the cell membrane and chloroplast
VIRTUAL MICROSCOPE

▪ https://www1.udel.edu/biology/ketcham/microscope/
 MICROORGANISMS
▪Microbes or
microorganisms are
extremely small organisms
which include viruses,
bacteria, protozoa and
some fungi.
▪ Many microbes are
pathogens, which means
they cause disease.
 VIRUSES
▪Viruses lack a cellular
structure and they can
only reproduce inside
other living cells.
▪ We refer to them as a
virion or virus particle.
▪ Nucleic acid is
replicated in host cell.
 BACTERIA
▪ Prokaryotic
▪ Lack a true nucleus
▪ DNA exists in
nucleoid and plasmid
▪ Have cell walls
▪ Some have flagella
for movement
 FUNGI
▪ Most are multicellular
▪ Yeasts are unicellular
▪ Cell wall made of
chitin
 BENEFITS OF MICROBES
Food industry – cheese, wine, alcohol, soy sauce, vinegar
Medicine – insulin, vaccine, antibiotics
Environment – clean up contaminants, biofuel,
decomposers
Agriculture – fertilisers, nitrogen fixation,
 HOMEWORK

▪Describe 2 differences between a bacterial

cell and an animal cell.
▪ Is a virus living? Why or why not?
▪ Draw and label one microbe of your choice
▪ State one way in which microbes are used.
 MICROSCOPES

▪ Cells are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

▪ Their existence was made known by the use of instruments named microscopes.
▪ A microscope magnifies, or makes a larger image of, an object.
▪ A microscope has lenses that magnify an object so it can be clearly seen.
▪ There are two types of microscopes: light microscopes and electron microscopes.
▪ A light microscope can magnify up to 1500 times but electron microscopes magnify up to
250,000 times.
▪ Electron microscopes also have better resolution; that is; they make images clearer than the light
microscope.
COMPARISON OF PLANT AND ANIMAL
CELLS
▪ Plants and animal cells have the following cell organelles in common:
1. Cytoplasm
2. Cell membrane
3. Mitochondrion
4. Endoplasmic reticulum
5. Ribosomes
6. Nucleus
….and more
▪ Plant cells possess structures that animal cells do not. These are:
1. Cell wall
2. Chloroplast
3. Large central vacuole
▪ Animals cells possess structures that plant cells do not. These include:
1. Centriole
2. Lysosome
3. Cilia
4. Flagellum
 RELATION OF STRUCTURE TO FUNCTION

▪ Animal cells and plant cells have differing basic functions.

▪ Additionally, because plants do not have an internal skeleton, their cell wall and central vacuole
play the role of securing the shape of their body.
▪ Animal cells do not make their own food and so have no need of chloroplasts.
▪ Because animals have to move to obtain their food and to reproduce they often have structures
for movement such as cilia or flagella.
▪ Plants and animals are multicellular organisms and so possess different types of cells that are
specialized for specific functions.
 CELL SPECIALIZATION

▪ Because of the complexity of multicellular organisms, cells have to be dedicated to specific

functions so that the organism can operate efficiently.
▪ Cell specialization, also known as cell differentiation, is the process by which generic cells
change into specific cells meant to do certain tasks within the body.
▪ Cell specialization is most important in the development of embryos. All cells for a certain
location of the body need to group together. As specialization occurs the different areas of the
fetus becomes visible.
▪ In adults, stem cells are specialized to replace cells that are worn out in the bone marrow, brain,
heart and blood.
▪ Thus animals possess neurons which are nerve cells, cardiac muscle cells among many others.
▪ A group of specialised cells that are dedicated to carry out the same function come together to form
tissues.
▪ Some tissues in animals are cardiac muscle tissue, epidermal tissue and many others. Plant tissues
include xylem and phloem.
▪ Different tissues then come together to form organs.
▪ For instance, all cardiac muscle tissue forms the heart and neurones form the brain. There are other
tissues present in these organs such as connective tissue.
▪ The organs and systems of plants and animals respectively carry out the complex
functions and processes of the organisms.
▪ In humans, the digestive system contain the organs: tongue, stomach, intestines
and pancreas to name a few.
▪ This specialization and grouping of cells allows multicellular organisms to achieve
much more complex activities that unicellular organisms cannot do.
CELL SPECIALISATION AND ORGANISATION
IN HUMANS

The human body is composed of trillions of

cells. These cells are of different types due to
them becoming specialised or differentiated
to carry out specific functions. This enables
humans to carry out all essential life
processes as efficiently as possible.
CELL SPECIALISATION AND ORGANISATION
IN HUMANS

Concise Revision Course: Human and Social Biology (pg 4)

EXAMPLES OF SPECIALISED CELLS

Concise Revision Course: Human and Social Biology (pg 5)

EXAMPLES OF SPECIALISED CELLS

Concise Revision Course: Human and Social Biology (pg 5)

 LEVELS OF ORGANISATION

Cells of the same type that are specialised to carry out a

particular function then work together in groups called
TISSUES. Tissues may contain one or, in some cases, more
than one type of cell, e.g. epithelial tissue, nerve tissue and
muscle tissue. Different tissues are then grouped together to
form specialised ORGANS which may perform one or more
specific functions, e.g. the stomach is composed of epithelial,
connective, muscle and nerve tissues. Organs work together
in ORGAN SYSTEMS to carry out a major function. All organ
systems then work together in an organised way to form an
ORGANISM.
LEVELS OF ORGANISATION