Cell Theory and

Prokaryote vs. Eukaryote

 What is a Cell?
1. Cell – Basic unit of living things.
2. Organisms are either:
a)Unicellular – made of one
cell such as bacteria and amoebas.
OR
b)Multicellular – made of
many cells such as plants
and animals.
Multicellular Organization
tissue
organ
cell organism

A group of similar cells is called a tissue.

A group of similar tissues is called an organ.
A group of organs working together form an
organ system or organism
Scientists to Remember
1.Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1674)
a)Father of Microscopy
b)Saw tiny living things in pond water.
Scientists to Remember
1.Robert Hooke (1665) – Observed “cells” in cork
a)Named box-shaped structures as “cells”
 Other Scientists
1.Matthias Schleiden (1838) – Plants are made of cells.
2.Theodor Schwann (1839) – Animals are made of cells.
3.Rudolf Virchow (1855) – New cells come from existing
cells.
4.Janet Plowe (1931) – Cell membrane is a physical
structure.
5.Lynn Margulis (1970) – Organelles were once free-living
cells.
Cell Theory
1.Confirmed discoveries that all scientists believe
to be true about cells:

a)All organisms (living things) are composed of

one or more cells.

b)The cell is the basic unit of (life) structure and

organization of organisms.

c)All (new) cells come from preexisting cells.

 Microscopes
1.Light Microscope – magnifies tiny
organisms up to 1,000 times.
-Uses light and lenses.
-We use these.

2.Electron Microscope – magnifies

up to a million times.
-Uses electrons.
The Discovery of Cells

before
nucleus

true
nucleus
 Eukaryotes
1. Has a nucleus with a nuclear envelope
2. Bigger and more complex than prokaryotes
3. Have membrane bound Organelles (golgi, ER,
lysosomes…etc)
4. DNA – double-stranded and forms chromosomes
(highly organized)
5. Can be unicellular OR multicellular organisms
6. Sexual Reproduction by Meiosis
7. Ex: animals, plants, fungi
 Prokaryotes

1. NO nucleus
2. NO membrane bound organelles (just ribosomes)
3. ALL are unicellular
4. Smaller than eukaryotic cells
5. Forerunner to eukaryotic cells (smaller and more
simple)
6. DNA – single strand and circular
7. Asexual Reproduction by Binary Fission
8. Ex: ALL Bacteria
Similarities
1. Contain all four macromolecules
a) lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids

2. Both have ribosomes

3. Both have DNA

4. Similar Metabolism

5. Both can be unicellular

6. Have cell/plasma membranes or cell wall

Eukaryote VS. Prokaryote Picture
Prokaryotic Cell Reproduction Binary Fission
Eukaryotic Cell Reproduction

Mitosis: cell reproduction for growth Meiosis: cell reproduction for the
and replacement of cells. This makes production of gametes, such as egg and
identical copies (clones) sperm (sex cells)
 How did organelles evolve?
1.Biologists generally believe
that eukaryotes evolved from
prokaryotes.

2.In 1981, Lynn Margulis

popularized the “endosymbiont
theory.”
Endosymbiotic Theory

1.The Endosymbiotic Theory states that present day

eukaryotic cells evolved from the uniting of several
types of primitive prokaryotic cells

a)Some organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts)

might have been were originally prokaryotes that
were involved in a symbiotic relationship
Endosymbiotic Theory

1. A prokaryote ancestor “eats” a smaller

prokaryote

1. The smaller prokaryote evolves a way

to avoid being digested, and lives inside
its new “host” cell kind of like a pet.
Endosymbiotic Theory

•Endo = inside
Symbiont = friend
ENDOSYMBIOTIC THEORY

1. The small prokaryotes that can do photosynthesis

evolve into chloroplasts, and “pay” their host
with glucose.

2. The smaller prokaryotes that can do aerobic

respiration evolve into mitochondria and convert
the glucose into energy the cell can use.

3. Both the host and the symbiont benefit from the

relationship
Endosymbiotic Theory

1.Chlorella are tiny green cells that live inside

some amoeba... endosymbiosis may still be
evolving today!
End of Session