CHAPTER 8 QUESTIONS - CELL STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

NAME: ___Braden Geiger 6th_____________________________________________________

CASE STUDY
1. What disease did David inherit?
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy
2. A change in what organelle causes this disorder?
Mitochondria
SECTION 1
3. What is the smallest part of any living thing that still counts as being “alive”?
Cell
4. The cell theory states:
All living things are made up of _________cells____________
Cells are the basic unit of structure and function in living things.
New cells are produced from _________existing____________ cells.

5. How were cells discovered?

Microscopes

6. What type of microscope can see living cells?

Light microscopes
7. What type of microscope uses electrons to see the outer surface of cells?
Scanning electron micrograph
8. Typical cells range from ____5 - 50_________ micrometers in diameter.

9. Despite their differences, all cells, at some point in their lives, contain _____DNA_________, the
molecule that carries biological information. In addition, all cells are surrounded by a thin
flexible barrier called a __________cell membrane_________________________________

10. __________Prokaryote___________ cells are generally smaller and simpler when compared
with eukaryotic cells. They include the organisms we commonly call _____bacteria_________.
They do not enclose their genetic material within a _________nucleus________________.

11. The very first photosynthetic organisms to appear on Earth, nearly 3 billion years ago, were
____________cyanobacteria____________________. They enabled oxygen to be released into
the atmosphere, making possible plant and animal life as we know it.

12. In _____________eukaryotic_____________ cells, the nucleus separates the genetic material

from the rest of the cell. Some, like the ones commonly called _____protists_______________
live solitary lives as unicellular organisms. Others form multicellular organisms such as plants,
animals, and fungi.

13. In these multicellular organisms, cells are specialized for specific tasks such as
________support________, ___communication_____, _____________movement_______, or
the production of ___proteins________ or other cell parts.
CHAPTER 8 QUESTIONS - CELL STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

SECTION 2
14. The _____________cytoplasm_________________ is the portion of the cell outside the nucleus.
The interior of a prokaryotic cell, which lacks a nucleus, is also referred to this way.
15. Prokaryotes are not considered to have “true” ____________organelles____________, which
are “little organs” with specialized tasks. They will carry out their cell processes differently than
eukaryotes.

16. The ________nucleus__________________ contains nearly all of the cell’s DNA and with it,
coded instructions for making __________proteins________ and other important molecules. It
is surrounded by a nuclear __________envelope___________ composed of two membranes
and it is dotted with thousands of nuclear _____pores_______, which allow material in and out.

17. ____Chromosomes_________________, which carry the cell’s genetic information, are also
found in the nucleus. Most of the time, the threadlike chromosomes are spread throughout the
nucleus in the form of ____________chromatin_______________ - a complex of DNA bound to
proteins. When a cell divides, its chromosomes condense and can be seen under a microscope.

18. Most nuclei also contain a small, dense region known as the ________nucleolus_____________,
where the assembly of ribosomes begins.

19. Because _____________proteins____________ carry out so many of the essential functions of

living things, including the synthesis of macromolecules such as lipids and carbohydrates, a big
part of the cell is devoted to their production and distribution.

20. Proteins are assembled on __________ribosomes______________, small particles of RNA and

protein found throughout the cytoplasm in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes.

21. Eukaryotic cells contain an internal membrane system known as the

______________________endoplasmic reticulum_______________. The portion of the ER
involved in the synthesis of proteins is called the ___________rough_________ ER because of
the _________ribosomes_________________ found on its surface.

22. The other portion of the ER is known as __________smooth______________ ER which contains

collections of enzymes that perform specialized tasks, including the synthesis of
___________lipids____________ and the detoxification of drugs.

23. Proteins made on the _________rough___________ ER include those that will be released, or
secreted, from the cell; many membrane proteins and proteins destined for other specialized
locations within the cell.

24. In eukaryotic cells, proteins produced in the rough ER move next into an organelle called the
_______________golgi apparatus______. This organelle ____________modifies____,
__________sorts__________, and ____________packages_________ proteins and other
materials from the ER for storage in the cell or release from the cell.
CHAPTER 8 QUESTIONS - CELL STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

25. Many cells contain _________vacuoles____________, which are large saclike, membrane-
enclosed structures that store materials like water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates. In many
plants cells, there is a single large vacuole that increases their _____rigidity_________, making it
possible for plants to support heavy structures such as leaves and flowers.

26. The eukaryotic paramecium contains a ___________contractile_________ vacuole which pumps

excess water out of the cell.

27. In addition, nearly all eukaryotic cells contain smaller membrane enclosed structures called
________vesicles_________________ that store and move materials between cell organelles as
well as to and from the cell surface.

28. ________Lysosomes________________ are small organelles filled with hydrolytic enzymes.

They break down lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins into smaller molecules that can be used by
the rest of the cell. They are also involved in breaking down organelles that have outlived their
____________usefulness________________.

29. Eukaryotic cells are given their shape and internal organization by a network of protein
filaments known as the _____________cytoskeleton____. It is also involved in movement, as in
cell flagella and cilia. __________Microfilaments __________________ help cells move.
___________Microtubules _________________ play critical roles in maintaining cell shape. A
certain type called ____________centrioles________________, are located near the nucleus,
help to organize the cell during cell division, and are not found in plant cells.

30. _________Chloroplasts__________________ capture energy from sunlight and convert it into

chemical energy stored in food during photosynthesis. What is the photosynthesis equation?
_______________________________________________________

31. ____________________________ convert the chemical energy stored in food molecules into
compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use, a process called cellular respiration.

32. Chloroplasts and mitochondria both have double membranes and they also have some of their
own ______________________ information in the form of small DNA molecules. This
observation led a biologist, Lyn Margulis, to suggest that both organelles are descended from
prokaryotic cells that only lived independently. This idea is known as the
______________________________ theory and is that ancient bacteria and photosynthetic
cyanobacteria took up residence inside the earliest eukaryotes. This means that both
chloroplasts and our own mitochondria owe their existence to their _______________________
relationship established between these cells more than a billion years ago.

33. Some organisms have ______________________ that lie just outside of their cell membranes.
The main function of this organelle is to support, shape, and protect the cell. Most prokaryotes
and many eukaryotes including ______________ and _______________, have this organelle,
although animal cells do not.

34. All cells contain cell membranes, generally made up of a double-layered sheet called a ________
_____________________. This gives cell membranes a flexible structure that forms a strong
barrier between the cell and its surroundings. The fatty acid tail portions of lipids are
CHAPTER 8 QUESTIONS - CELL STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

_________________________, “water fearing” while the opposite end of the molecule (the
phosphate heads) are _________________________, “water loving”.

35. Although many substances can cross cell membranes, some are too _______________ or too
strongly ________________________ to cross the lipid bilayer. If a substance is able to cross a
membrane, the membrane is said to be __________________________ to it. A membrane is
_________________________ to substances that cannot pass across it. This makes most
membranes _____________________________________ or semipermeable.

SECTION 3
36. One of the most important processes carried out by the cell membrane is to keep a cell in
________________________________, a state of relatively constant internal physical and
chemical conditions. It does this by regulating the movement of molecules and other substances
from one side of the membrane to the other side.

37. The particles in the cell tend to move from an area where they are ___________ concentrated
to an area where they are ______________ concentrated. This process is known as
____________________, which is the driving force behind the movement of many substances
across the cell membrane. ______________________ is reached when the concentration of the
substance on both sides of the cell membrane is the same. Note: molecules continue to move
across the membrane in both directions however there is no further _________ change in the
concentration on either side.

38. The movement of molecules across the cell membrane without using cellular energy is called
_________________________transport. The molecules that pass through lipid bilayers most
easily are ______________ and ____________________.
_______________________ in the membrane act as carriers, or channels, making it easy for
certain molecules to cross. These channels, __________________________, or help, the
diffusion of molecules across the membrane. This process is called
_______________________________________. It is fast and specific to certain molecules, it
does not require any cell energy as it moves molecules down its concentration gradient.

39. Many cells contain water channel proteins called _______________________________.

_______________________ is the diffusion of water through a selectively permeable
membrane. Water will tend to move across the membrane until _________________________
is reached. According to the example in the book, at that point, the concentration of water and
sugar will be the same on both sides of the membrane. When this happens, the two solutions
will be __________________________, which means “same strength”. Note that strength
refers to the amount of ___________________. When the experiment began, the more
concentrated sugar solution on the right side of the tube was ___________________________
or “above strength” compared to the left side. The dilute sugar solution was
____________________________, or “below strength”.
CHAPTER 8 QUESTIONS - CELL STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

40. Osmotic pressure can cause an animal cell in a hypertonic solution to ___________________
and one in a hypotonic solution to ___________________. Because cells contain salts, sugars,
proteins, and other dissolved molecules, they are almost always ________________________ to
fresh water. As a result, water tends to move quickly into a cell surrounded by fresh water,
causing it to swell and eventually the cell may ________________.

41. In plant cells, osmotic pressure can cause changes in size of the central _________________,
which shrinks or swells as water moves into or out of the cell. The tough walls of plant cells (and
some bacteria) prevent the cells from expanding too much.

42. Cells sometimes must transport materials against a concentration gradient. The movement of
materials against a concentration difference is known as ____________________ transport and
it requires ___________________. Small molecules and ions such as calcium, potassium, and
sodium are carried across membranes by ____________________ in the membrane that act like
pumps. The use of energy in these systems enables cells to concentrate substances in a
particular location, when then the forces of _________________ might tend to move these
substances back in the opposite direction.

43. Larger molecules and even solid clumps of material can be transported by movements of the cell
membrane known as ______________ transport. __________________________________ is
the process of taking material into the cell by means of infoldings, or pockets, of the cell
membrane. _________________________________ is the type in which extensions of the
cytoplasm surround a particle and package it within a food vacuole. The cell then engulfs it.
Many cells take in liquid from the surrounding environment in a process known as
____________________________________, tiny pockets form along the cell membrane, fill
with liquid, and pinch off to form vacuoles.

44. Many cells also release large amounts of material, a process known as
__________________________________. During this process, the membrane of the vesicle or
vacuole surrounding the material fuses with the cell membrane, forcing the contents out of the
cell. Both types of bulk transport are considered ________________________ (requires energy).
CHAPTER 8 QUESTIONS - CELL STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

SECTION 4

45. To maintain homeostasis, unicellular organisms ____________________, respond to their

____________________________, transform ____________________, and
____________________________.

46. Prokaryotes, especially _________________________, are remarkably adaptable and live

almost everywhere. Many eukaryotes, like ________________________ and many
_____________________, also live as single cells.

47. The cells of multicellular organisms become ____________________________ (or

differentiated) for particular tasks and communicate with one another to maintain homeostasis.

48. Specialized animal cells: all of your cells need ________________________ and release
________________________________ as waste. Carrying gases to and from the body is the job
of __________________________________.

49. Certain cells in the heart, liver, and other organs form connections, or cellular
____________________________, to neighboring cells. Some hold cells together firmly. Others
allow small molecules carrying chemical messages or signals to pass directly from one cell to the
next. To respond to one of these chemical signals, a cell must have a ______________________
to which the signaling molecule can bind. Some are on the cell membrane.

50. In many animals, impulses carried by nerve cells, or _____________________, carry messages
rapidly from one part of the body to another. A steady supply of energy, produced by
___________________________, is necessary to keep neurons functioning.