Cell Structure & Function

These flashcards cover the key concepts and terms related to cell structure and function, based on the lecture notes.

Cell

The basic unit of life; all living organisms are made of cells.

Spontaneous Generation

The belief that living beings originated from non-living matter.

Jan Baptist Van Helmont

An early supporter of spontaneous generation known for his experiments with plants.

Francesco Redi

The first person to challenge spontaneous generation through his experiments with raw meat.

Louis Pasteur

French chemist who disproved spontaneous generation with his swan neck flask experiment.

Robert Hooke

English scientist who used a microscope to study cork and coined the term 'cells'.

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek

Dutch tradesman who constructed a microscope and discovered single-celled organisms.

Cell Theory

States that all organisms are composed of one or more cells, the cell is the basic unit of structure, and all cells come from pre-existing cells.

Prokaryotic Cell

Single-celled organisms without a true nucleus or membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryotic Cell

Organisms with true nuclei and membrane-bound organelles, can be single-celled or multicellular.

Mitochondria

The powerhouse of the cell that generates ATP as the primary energy source.

Chloroplast

Organelles in plant cells that are the site of photosynthesis.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

Series of membranes involved in the synthesis of proteins (Rough ER) and lipids (Smooth ER).

Golgi Apparatus

Organelle that processes, packages, and secretes proteins.

Nucleus

The control center of the cell, regulating all cell activities.