Cell Detective: Animal, Plant, and Bacterial Cells

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering cellular organelles and structures across animal, plant, and bacterial cells based on the Cell Structure Gizmo exploration activity.

Nucleus

A cellular structure that contains DNA and determines gene expressions.

Nucleolus

A tiny sphere inside the nucleus that contains RNA and synthesizes ribosomes.

Nuclear membrane

A barrier that surrounds and protects the nucleus.

Cell membrane

A protective barrier surrounding each cell that regulates what goes in and out.

Cytoplasm

The yellow fluid filling that occupies the in-betweens of all structures and includes everything inside the cell.

Mitochondria

Organelles that convert nutrients into chemical energy for the cell to use through respiration.

Endoplasmic reticulum

A maze-like structure around the nucleus that manufactures, processes, and transports chemical compounds around the cell.

Ribosome

Small dot-like cellular structures that serve as the sites where proteins are made.

Golgi apparatus

Stacks of membrane structures that collect and modify chemical compounds.

Vesicle

Tiny structures that store and deliver nutrients by traveling along the cytoskeleton.

Lysosome

An organelle containing digestive chemicals that breaks down old and nonfunctional organelles.

Vacuole

An organelle that stores water, salts, carbohydrates, proteins, and nutrients.

Centriole

A structure found in animal cells that organizes the movement of chromosomes during cell division.

Cytoskeleton

A network of noodle-like fibers extending from the cell membrane to the nucleus that influences cell movement and gives the cell its shape.

Cell wall

A rigid outer layer found in plant and bacterial cells that protects, provides strength, and maintains the cell's distinct shape.

Chloroplast

An organelle found in plant cells that converts sunlight energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.

Plastid

A plant organelle that carries out photosynthesis, pigment storage, and food storage.

Capsule

An outer protective layer of a bacterial cell that protects it from harmful materials and keeps it from drying out.

Nucleoid

An irregularly shaped region in a bacterial cell that holds up genetic material and houses chromosomes.

Plasmid

Small circular rings of DNA in bacterial cells separate from the main genetic material that provide antibiotic resistance.

Flagellum

A long, whip-like tail structure that allows movement for the cell.

Pilus

Hair-like projections sticking up on a bacterial cell surface that act as attachment pieces to establish contact with other cells.