Cellular Basis of Life Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on the Cellular Basis of Life lecture notes, covering historical background, cell theory, and eukaryotic versus prokaryotic cells.

Cell

The basic living unit of all organisms, composed primarily of four significant elements: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.

Robert Hooke

The first person to use the term "cell," referring to the small empty chambers in the structure of cork.

Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann

The scientists who concluded that all plant and animal tissues were composed of cells.

Rudolf Virchow

The scientist who proposed the theory of biogenesis, stating that cells only arise from pre-existing cells.

Theory of Biogenesis

The theory proposed by Rudolf Virchow that cells only arise from pre-existing cells.

Principle of Complementarity

The principle stating that the activities of cells are dictated by their structure (anatomy), which determines function (physiology).

Eukaryotic Cell

A cell class composed of membrane-bound organelles (such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi complex), containing DNA within a nucleus, and dividing via mitosis.

Prokaryotic Cell

A cell class lacking membrane-enclosed organelles, whose DNA is not enclosed within a membrane, and which usually divides by binary fission.