Specialised Animal Cells Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, adaptations, and structures of specialised animal cells such as sperm cells, nerve cells, and muscle cells.

Differentiation

The process where cells become specialised to carry out a particular function.

Fertilization

The process of a sperm cell joining with an ovum (egg cell), combining their genetic information.

Sperm Cell Nucleus

The nucleus of a sperm cell that contains half the genetic information of a normal adult cell.

Sperm Cell Mitochondria

Organelles packed into sperm cells that provide the energy needed for swimming to the ovum.

Sperm Cell Enzymes

Enzymes contained in sperm cells that allow them to digest their way through the outer layer of the ovum.

Nerve Cell

A specialised animal cell whose job is to send electrical impulses around the body.

Axon

A long part of a nerve cell that carries electrical impulses from one part of the body to another.

Myelin

A covering over the axon that insulates it and speeds up the transmission of nerve impulses.

Synapses

Junctions at the end of the axon that allow impulses to pass from one nerve cell to another.

Dendrites

Structures on the cell body of a nerve cell that increase the surface area so other nerve cells can connect more easily.

Protein Fibers (in Muscle Cells)

Fibers inside muscle cells that can change their length and shorten when the muscle cell contracts.

Muscle Cell Mitochondria

Organelles packed full inside muscle cells that provide energy for muscle contraction.