Cell Organelles-Class notes

grade 9 biology MYP

Characteristics of Life

Features that define living organisms, including being made of cells, organization, growth, reproduction, response to stimuli, energy requirement, homeostasis, and evolutionary adaptations.

Prokaryotes

Unicellular organisms, such as bacteria, that do not contain nuclei and are the oldest living things.

Eukaryotes

Organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and protists, that can be unicellular or multicellular and contain nuclei and organelles.

Cell Wall

The outermost layer in plants, fungi, and prokaryotes that supports and protects the cell.

Cell Membrane

A structure that controls materials entering and leaving the cell and helps maintain its shape.

Cytoplasm

A gel-like substance filling the cell where many chemical reactions occur.

Ribosome

The site where proteins are assembled, essential for chemical reactions in the cell.

DNA

The molecule that contains instructions for cellular functions and determines cell roles.

Nucleus

The organelle that contains most of the cell's DNA and regulates cellular activities.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

An organelle with ribosomes on its surface involved in protein synthesis and transport.

Golgi Apparatus

The cell's "warehouse" that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and materials for secretion.

Vacuole

An organelle that stores materials like salt, water, and proteins, with large central vacuoles found in plant cells.

Lysosome

Small vesicles containing digestive proteins that break down waste and cellular debris.

Mitochondria

The "powerhouse" of the cell that converts food into energy and contains its own DNA.

Chloroplast

An organelle that captures sunlight and converts it into chemical energy through photosynthesis, containing chlorophyll.

Plant Cells

Cells characterized by cell walls, chloroplasts, larger size, and rarely containing lysosomes.

Animal Cells

Cells that lack cell walls and chloroplasts, are smaller, and typically contain lysosomes.