Comprehensive Study Guide to Cell Structures and Organelles

Vocabulary flashcards covering the structures, organelles, and functions found in plant and animal cells.

Cell Wall

The rigid supporting layer that surrounds the cells of plants, protists, fungi, and some bacteria to help protect and support the cell.

Cellulose

A strong material that makes up most of the cell walls in plant cells.

Chitin

The material that makes up the cell walls of fungi, which is also the same material that forms the hard outer skeleton of insects.

Cell Membrane

A thin, flexible barrier that surrounds a cell and controls which substances, such as food, water, and oxygen, pass into and out of the cell.

Nucleus

The cell structure that directs the cell's activities.

Nuclear Envelope

A membrane surrounding the nucleus that contains pores allowing materials to pass into and out of the nucleus.

Chromatin

Thin strands of genetic material that fill the nucleus and contain instructions for cell function.

Nucleolus

A dark, round structure located inside the nucleus that produces dot-like ribosomes.

Ribosomes

Dot-like organelles that produce proteins needed by the cell, located either floating in the cytoplasm or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

An organelle with a network of membranes resembling a maze of passageways that processes substances, including proteins and lipids.

Lipids

Fats that store energy and serve as an important structural component of cells.

Cytoplasm

A gel-like fluid that fills most of the cell and carries or moves nutrients, proteins, and organelles within the cell.

Mitochondrion

An organelle that converts energy stored in food into energy that can be used by the cell.

Golgi Apparatus

An organelle that packages and distributes materials received from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).

Chloroplast

An organelle found in plant cells that makes food for the cell using energy captured from sunlight.

Vacuole

An organelle that stores water, food, waste products, or other materials for the cell.

Lysosomes

Organelles that break down food particles and worn-out cell parts.