Cell Structure and Function

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, cell structures, organelles, specialized cells, and equations from the Chapter 1 Cell Structure lecture notes.

Cell

The smallest basic unit of any living organism.

Tissue

A group of cells with similar structure working together to perform a specific shared function.

Organ

A group of tissues working together to perform a group of shared functions.

Unicellular Organism

A single-celled organism, such as bacteria.

Multicellular Organism

An organism made up of many cells, such as animals and plants.

Light Microscope

A microscope that uses light rays to provide low magnification ($\times 1500$) and low resolution.

Electron Microscope

A microscope that uses a beam of electrons to provide high magnification ($\times 500,000$ to $\times 1,000,000$) and high resolution.

Cell Wall (Plant)

A plant cell layer made of the polysaccharide cellulose that provides support to prevent the cell from bursting and is fully permeable.

Cell Membrane

A partially permeable barrier made of fats and proteins that controls the movement of substances into and out of the cell and separates cell contents from the surroundings.

Large Vacuole

A membrane-bound organelle in plant cells containing water, mineral ions, salts, and sugars that increases turgor pressure to keep the cell turgid.

Chloroplast

A disc-like structure containing chlorophyll that absorbs light energy to synthesize glucose during photosynthesis and stores starch grains.

Photosynthesis Equation

The chemical reaction expressed as $\text{Carbon dioxide} + \text{Water} \rightarrow \text{Glucose} + \text{Oxygen}$ in the presence of light energy and chlorophyll.

Cytoplasm

A jelly-like structure composed of 70% water that serves as the site of all metabolic and chemical reactions inside the cell.

Mitochondrion

A rod-like organelle responsible for aerobic respiration and energy/ATP release, featuring a folded inner membrane to increase surface area.

Aerobic Respiration Equation

The chemical process expressed as $\text{Glucose} + \text{Oxygen} \rightarrow \text{Carbon dioxide} + \text{Water} + \text{Energy/ATP}$.

Nucleus

An organelle containing genetic material, information, and genes (DNA) that controls chemical reactions and cell activities.

Gene

A specific length of DNA that codes for a specific protein.

Ribosome

A cellular structure that assembles amino acids into specific sequences to synthesize proteins according to the base sequence on mRNA.

Plant Cell

A eukaryotic cell characterized by having a cellulose cell wall, chloroplasts, a large central vacuole, and storing glucose as starch grains.

Animal Cell

An irregular-shaped cell that lacks a cell wall, chloroplasts, and large vacuole, and stores glucose as glycogen granules.

Prokaryotic Cell

A single-celled organism (such as a bacterial cell) that lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, featuring a peptidoglycan/murein cell wall and smaller 70S ribosomes.

Plasmid

A small circular piece of DNA found in prokaryotic cells that is used in genetic modification.

Red Blood Cell

A specialized cell with a biconcave shape and no nucleus that contains haemoglobin to transport oxygen from the lungs to body cells.

Goblet Cell

A specialized cell located in the lining of the trachea and bronchus that produces sticky mucus to trap particles and pathogens.

Ciliated Cell

A specialized cell in the respiratory tract with cilia that beat mucus away from the airway toward the throat to be swallowed and killed by acid in the stomach.

Acrosome

A specialized structure at the tip of a sperm cell that secretes enzymes to dissolve and digest the jelly coat around an egg cell.

Palisade Mesophyll Cell

A leaf cell containing many chloroplasts and rich in chlorophyll, adapted to maximize light absorption for photosynthesis.

Root Hair Cell

A root cell with a large surface area, thin wall, and many mitochondria, adapted for absorbing water and mineral ions from the soil.

Xylem Vessel

A continuous hollow tube composed of dead, lignified cells without end walls, adapted to transport water and mineral ions from roots to leaves and support the plant.

Magnification Formula

The relationship used to calculate image size or actual size, defined as $\text{Magnification} = \frac{\text{Image length}}{\text{Actual length}}$.