Student’s Name: AUDITOR, Diane Francine

Date Performed: September 20, 2022

Course/Year/Section: BS BIO 1-A
Date Submitted: Sept. 27, 2022
Professor’s Name: Mrs. Cecilia Cordero

WORKSHEET # 2

THE PLANT CELL

I. The Parts of the Plant Cell

A. Non green epidermal cell of Allium cepa (onion)

a) Do you see rectangular boxes adjacent to each other?

Answer: Yes, it was apparent that there are rectangular boxes adjacent to each other.

b) Each "box" and its contents compose the cell. What part
of the cell forms the "box"?

Answer: These are the stiff cell walls of the onion cell that gives them
the box-like shape or appearance.

c) Can you see an inner "envelope" surrounding the cell?

Answer: Yes, there are inner envelope surrounding the cell as seen under the microscope.

d) Can you find any communication lines between the boxes? Why
or why not?

The communication lines or plasmodesmata are present but not visible under the compound
microscope. It may require a higher-resolution microscope in order to be clearly visible,
considering its size and the structure of cell wall where it reside pectate

e) Do you think Robert Hooke was correct in giving the name

"cell" (meaning "small rooms") to the specimen he saw in
 cork? Support your answer.

Yes, I think Robert Hooke was correct. At first glance, plant cells resemble box-like
cavities that are similar to that of tiny adjacent rooms because of their rigid cell walls that
forces them to have a defined shape. This may be the reason why he named them ‘cells,’
since Hooke described them as walled boxes, which reminded him of the small rooms
occupied by monks, or also called cellula—the word where the name cell came from.

f) What part of the cell becomes visible after the addition of

the iodine solution stain?
Answer: The addition of iodine solution stain made the nucleus of the cell
to became more visible, providing some contrast for viewing under the
microscope.

g) What is the function of this part of the cell?

The nucleus is a membrane-bound organelle and it is the information center of the cell. This part of
the plant cell has two main functions. First is to store and regulate its hereditary material, or also
known as DNA. Second, it coordinates the cell's activities, which include intermediary metabolism,
growth, protein synthesis, and reproduction (cell division).

h) Look at the cell wall. What is responsible for the organized arrangement of the
cells?

Cellulose fibers, structural proteins, and other polysaccharides present in the primary and
secondary cell walls help maintain the rigid shapes of the cell wall. This creates a defined shape,
and supported by pectin that cements together the primary cell walls of two adjoining plant cells
(middle lamella) its organized arrangement is maintained.

i) What is the cementing substance between cells called? What is the chemical
composition of this substance?

The Middle lamella is the cementing substance between two adjacent cells. It is primarily
composed of Pectin. Specifically, the pectin compounds it manly contains are calcium and
magnesium pectate.

j) Do you think Robert Browne was right when he gave the

Name “nucleus” to the “nut-like” part he saw inside the cell? Support your answer.
Yes, I agree in his naming of the nut-like part of the cell as ‘nucleus’. Under the microscope, the
dark, central globule is indeed similar to a tiny nut. In fact, the term nucleus was derived from a
Latin word which means “kernel of a nut”

k) Do you see darker stained part/s inside the nucleus? What is/are this/these?

Yes, I can somehow see some darker stained parts inside the nucleus of the cell. These I believe are
the chromosomes stored within the organelle.

B. Green cell of Hydrilla verticillata.

a) What are the green round bodies that you see?

The tiny green round bodies are the chloroplasts of the cell.

b) What are the functions of the green bodies?

The green bodies, which are identified as the chloroplasts, are the structures within plant and algal
cells that is the site for photosynthesis. They convert energy from the sun to energy stored in the
form of sugar and other organic molecules that the plant or alga uses as food.

c) About how many are there?

If based on the image captured by our group, the number of chloroplast within the cells are
uncountable. However, it is believed (according to some sources) that a cell may contain 20 to 100
chloroplasts each.

d) Are these green bodies moving or stationary?

Throughout a cell, chloroplasts do move. They jostle, slide, and scoot around, sometimes staying
close to the cell's edges and other times appearing to occupy the entirety of cell with constant
motion.

e) If the green bodies are moving, what do you call this movement? What
is the direction of this movement (clockwise or counter- clockwise)?

Cyclic or cytoplasmic streaming is the term for the motion that permeates cells’
interiors. This movement moves in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions
around many smaller vacuoles.

f) Is the nucleus visible among the green bodies? Why or

why not?

No it is not. The nucleus of the Hydrilla verticillata cells are not visible under a compound microscope for a
combination of reasons, including the masking by chlorophyll, the position of the nucleus, and the contact
between the thin cell membrane and the cell wall.
 C. (Tomato) cells:

a) Do you see orange or red round or oblong bodies in

cells?

Yes, there are some orange or somehow red-colored oblong bodies within the cells.

b) What are they called?

They are called the chromoplasts (plastids), which refers to a colored plastic typically containing a yellow,
orange, or red pigment.

c) How would you compare the arrangement of these cells to

the cells of the onion skin?

The arrangement of onion skin cells are defined ot rectangular in shape,

as if bricks adjacently stacked with each other. Meanwhile, unlike some
types of plants that have regular square or rectangular cell shapes, the
tomato cells cannot be described as one specific shape. They are rather
amorphous or irregular in nature.

d) Aside from the tomato, what other plants contain these

orange or red bodies?

Plants containing these orange or red bodies, also called chromoplasts (plastids), includes papaya,
cauliflower, carrot, pepper, watermelon and most flowers.

e) What are the functions of these orange or red colored

bodies?

Chromoplasts (plastids) are brightly colored plastids found in flowers, fruits, leaves, and
roots with the primary functions of synthesis and accumulation of carotenoid pigments.
They are responsible for the yellow, orange and red colors of many plants. The coloration
of petals by chromoplasts is also an evolutionary strategy adopted by some angiosperms to
attract pollinators or eaters of colored fruits, which help disperse seeds (Waters and Pyke
2005; Egea et al.
 2. Solanum tuberosum (Potato) scrapings:

a) What do you call the bodies stained by the iodine

solution?
The iodine solution reacts with starch within the cells to form a purple complex. These purple
bodies (starch grains) is a type of leucoplast called amyloplast.

b) Are these bodies of the same sizes?

No they are not. In fact, it is apparent that the starch grains differ in sizes.

c) What are the functions of these bodies?

The leucoplast called amyloplast, is mainly responsible for starch storage and gravity detection or
also known as gravitropism, which aids in the growth of plant roots in a downward direction. The
amyloplasts polymerize glucose to create starch, which they then store as starch grains in the
stroma. They are commonly found in vegetative plant tissues, such as tubers (potatoes) and bulbs.
 D. The vacuole

a) What colored substance or pigment is found inside the

vacuole?

The vacuoles contain water-soluble pigments called anthocyanins.

b) In what solvent is this pigment dissolved?

Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments, which means they can be dissolved in water.

c) What is the membrane of this structure called?

The vacuole is enclosed by a membrane, called a tonoplast.

d) What is the function of a vacuole?

Vacuoles are membrane-bound organelles that help in the storage and disposal of various
substances. They are capable of storing food or other substances that cells need in order to survive.
Moreover, they also store waste materials and guard the entire cell against contamination.

Questions:
 1. How are crystals formed?

Generally, biologically produced oxalate and calcium from the environment combine to
generate the crystals. This formation in angiosperms often occurs intracellularly, within
vacuoles of specialized cells known as idioblast. Meanwhile, the majority of crystals in
gymnosperms originate in the cell wall.

2. What is the chemical composition of crystals?

The most common plant crystals are usually constituted by calcium salts, like calcium oxalate and
calcium carbonate.

3. What is the importance of crystal formation in plant cells?

They appear to serve a primary function in bulk regulation of calcium in tissues and a secondary
function in defense against grazing animals.

Questions:

1. What organelles did you see in the specimens?

Generally, most of the organelles we’ve seen are; cell wall, nucleus, vacuoles, chloroplasts,
chromoplasts (plastids) , leucoplasts (amyloplast), cytoplasm, cell membrane, and plant crystals.

2. Differentiate a cell wall from a plasma membrane structurally and functionally.

The plasma membrane is found in the inner lining of the cell that encloses the other cellular
organelles within. It provides protection to the cell from its surroundings and controls the passage
of some solutes and water into and out of the cell. It is present in all types of cell.

Meanwhile, the cell wall forms the outermost barrier of the cell which provides structural support
and rigidity for the plant body. It is present only in plants, fungi and some bacteria. The cell wall is
the thick and stiff layer with a fixed shape, whereas the plasma membrane is a delicate thin layer
which is flexible enough to change the shape as needed.
3. In a living cell, could the nucleus occur in the vacuole? Why or why not?

No, the vacuole is not a place where the nucleus can exist and still perform its functions. The
reason lies in their different functions. A vacuole isolate harmful products, store waste products,
store water, excrete accumulated stuff out of the cell while a nucleus is the control center for the
cell. It contains the cell’s DNA and governs the day-to-day cellular processes, which will be
harmful if it interacts with the substances stored inside a vacuole.

4. How do stains facilitate the study of cells?

A cell can be stained to make it easier to see the cell or specific cellular components under a
microscope. It is also a method used for highlighting metabolic processes or identifying live from
dead cells in a sample.

5. What is the advantage of using fresh mounts in the examination of plant cells?

Viewers will be better able to distinguish between the various organelles inside the cell with the aid
of fresh mounts from plant tissues and cells. In order to ascertain the activity of the cells, several
reagents or solutions can also be used. However, applying reagents and solutions is not advised
and is not practiced if it is no longer fresh.