blog #3 Biology Project
Biology Project Jude Alomair
Animal Structure and Function
Remember:
Name the organelle that controls what enters or leaves an animal cell.
The cell membrane.
State the function of the mitochondria.
The mitochondria is one of the power plants of the cells which is surrounded by two membranes. The function of the mitochondria is to convert chemical energy stored in foods into a usable form.
What structures on the surface of rough endoplasmic reticulum are used for protein synthesis?
The rough endoplasmic reticulum has ribosomes which are the small, round organelles with the function of making proteins.
Understand:
Plant cells need a cell wall for support. Why do animal cells not need a cell wall?
Plants need their cell walls for the support and the ability to maintain its shape without the need of bones which is why animal cells do not need them. In addition, animal cells cannot have cell walls as it would prevent them from moving freely.
Classify the parts of an animal cell as membrane bound or non-membrane bound.
Some membrane-bound organelles are the nucleus, chloroplast, mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, peroxisome, and lysosome. The non-membrane-bound organelles are the ribosomes, centrioles, cytoskeleton, and cell wall.
When cells are placed in fresh water, they absorb water by a process called osmosis. Predict what would happen to blood cells if they were placed in a watery solution.
A blood cell placed in hypotonic solution would gain water until it eventually expands beyond its limits and potentially explode.
Apply:
The endosymbiotic theory suggests that double membrane bound organelles arose when prokaryotes were engulfed by a cell, but were not digested. Which organelles in animal cells may have arisen by endosymbiosis?
The organelles that may have arisen by endosymbiosis in animal cells are the chloroplasts and mitochondria.
Identify the pathway through a cell of a protein, from production, to modification, to secretion out of the cell.
The pathway of the transport of proteins starts at the DNA where the ribosomes are produced and transported to the rough ER which is where the proteins are then made. The proteins then transport to the Golgi apparatus through vesicles where they are modified. After they are modified, they are moved by the vesicles again through exocytosis to the membrane, where they finally release (secrete) their contents.
Summarise how lysosomes function.
Lysosomes are organelles filled with enzymes that break down large molecules and organelles that are no longer useful. It is sometimes referred to as the digestive system of the cell.
Analyse:
Compare smooth endoplasmic reticulum and rough endoplasmic reticulum in terms of structure, function and position in the cell.
Rough ER synthesizes and stores proteins and lipids. Smooth ER, on the other hand, synthesize and stores proteins only. Smooth ER doesn’t contain ribosomes and is mainly present in lipid forming cells, while the rough ER does contain ribosomes and is mainly present in protein forming cells. The smooth ER is found near the cell membrane and is mainly composed of tubules while the rough ER is found near the cytoplasm and is mainly composed of cisternae. The smooth ER originates from the rough ER by shedding the ribosomes while the rough ER originates from nuclear membranes.
What is the function of centrioles in an animal cell?
They are organelles made from tubulins which help the cell during cell division. They work during the process of mitosis and meiosis.
Cell shape is formed using protein fibres that form a cytoskeleton. Discuss why cells may need to be different shapes.
Cells have different shapes because each cell does something different. Each cell type has its own role to play in helping our bodies to work properly, and their shapes help them carry out these roles effectively.
Synthesise:
Draw an animal cell, labelling the organelles using a key.
Many animal cells are transparent. Devise a method to observe animal cells under a microscope.
By using a drop of blue methylene dye, we can observe the transparent animal cells through a microscope.
Create a Venn Diagram comparing the organelles in an animal cell to a plant cell.
Evaluate:
The parts of a cell have been compared to parts of a factory. Discuss this analogy.
The various parts and organelles of a cell each have their own functions which work together in order to help us function and stay alive much like a factory. For example, the nucleus is the control centre of the cell which contains all of its DNA and the coded instructions for making proteins and other important molecules.
For many years, it has been stated that the nucleus is the “brain” of the cell as it contains the DNA, but more recent research suggests the cell membrane is the real control centre of the cell as it processes signals which pass on messages to turn DNA on or off. Choose which you think is more important in the cell and explain your decision
The cell membrane is mainly what surrounds the entire cell and regulates what enters and exits the cell through transportation, while the nucleus contains all of the cell's DNA and the coded instructions for making proteins and other important molecules. I personally believe that the nucleus is more important as without it we wouldn’t have the proteins and molecules the cell membrane allows to enter or exit.
Cells in the small intestine have finger like projections over the surface to increase surface area and speed up absorption of nutrients from the gut. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of increasing surface area of a cell.
One advantage of having larger surface area in a cell is sped up facilitated diffusion. Large surface areas mean more of something can pass through it at a particular time. Although, there are still disadvantages to increased surface areas in cells. More contact with the environment through the surface of a cell increases loss of water and dissolved substances. It can also present problems of temperature control in unfavourable environments.
-Blog by Jude
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