Subject: Biology

Topic:-The Fundamental Unit of

Life

Made by:-
Maheshwar Vijay Bodkhe
What is the fundamental unit of life?
• A cell is the smallest unit of life and is capable of all
living functions.
• Cells are the building blocks of life.
• This is the reason why cells are referred to as the basic
structural and functional units of life.
• All cells vary in their shape, size, and activity they
perform.
Diagram of Cell:-
Components of Cell:-
• PLASMA MEMBRANE/CELL MEMBRANE
• CELL WALL
• NUCLEUS
• CYTOPLASM
• CELL ORGANELLES
1) ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER)
2) GOLGI APPARATUS
3) LYSOSOMES
4) MITOCHONDRIA
5) PLASTIDS
6) VACUOLES
Discovery Of Cell:-
ROBERT HOOKE
• He was the first person to discover cell in 1665.
• He observed the cells in a cork slice with the help of a Primitive Microscope.

ROBERT HOOKE CORK SLICE

Discovery of Living Cell:-
ANTON VAN LEEUWENHOEK
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek first discovered free-living algae Spirogyra
cells in water in the pond in 1674 with the improved microscope.
• The living cells were first discovered by Antony Van Leeuwenhoek. He
observed living cells and called them 'animalcules'.

LEEUWENHOEK FREE-LIVING SPIROGYRA CELLS

DISCOVERY OF CELL:- NUCLEUS
ROBERT BROWN
• Robert Brown was a Scottish Botanist who was responsible for discovery of the
nucleus of the cell.
• He is perhaps best known for his discovery of the random movement of
microscopic particles in a surrounding solution, later referred to as “Brownian
motion”.

ROBERT BROWN NUCLEUS

DISCOVERY OF PROTOPLASM
J.E PURKINJE
• The word "protoplasm" comes from the Greek protos for first, and
plasma for thing formed, and was originally used in religious contexts.
It was used in 1839 by J. E. Purkinje for the material of the animal
embryo.

JE PURKINJE PROTOPLASM
COMPONENT OF CELL:- CELL MEMBRANE/PLASMA
MEMBRANE
• The plasma membrane, also called the cell membrane, is the
membrane found in all cells that separates the interior of the cell
from the outside environment. In bacterial and plant cells, a cell
wall is attached to the plasma membrane on its outside surface.
•  The plasma membrane consists of both lipids and proteins.
• The plasma membrane, or the cell membrane, provides
protection for a cell. It also provides a fixed environment inside
the cell. And that membrane has several different functions. One
is to transport nutrients into the cell and also to transport toxic
substances out of the cell.
• The principal components of the plasma membrane are lipids ( phospholipids
and cholesterol), proteins, and carbohydrates. The plasma membrane protects
intracellular components from the extracellular environment. The plasma
membrane mediates cellular processes by regulating the materials that enter
and exit the cell.
MOVEMENT ACROSS CELL MEMBRANE
PASSIVE TRANSPORT
• It is a slow process.
• Does not require expenditure of energy.
• It occurs down the concentration gradient.
• Does not require carrier proteins.
• Only small molecules(Water ,Gases and Ions) pass through the Plasma
Membrane.
• It is of two types:-
1) Diffusion
2) Osmosis
DIFFUSION:-
• Diffusion is a passive process of transport. A single substance tends to
move from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration until the concentration is equal across the space.
• The molecule most likely to be involved in simple diffusion is water. 
OSMOSIS:-
• Osmosis, the spontaneous passage or diffusion of water or other solvents
through a semipermeable membrane (one that blocks the passage of
dissolved substances—i.e., solutes).
• There are two types:-
1) Exosmosis :- This takes place in Hypertonic Solution. The solvent passes
from the substance to outer surrounding.
2) Endosmosis:- This takes place in Hypotonic Solution. The solvent passes
from outer surrounding medium to substance.
Cell Theory:-
• In biology, cell theory is a scientific theory first formulated in the mid-
nineteenth century, that living organisms are made up of cells, that they are
the basic structural/organizational unit of all organisms, and that all cells
come from pre-existing cells.
• The three principles of cell theory are: All living organisms are composed
of one or more cells. Cell is the basic structural and functional unit of
living organisms. All cells arise from pre-existing cells.
• Although cells were first observed in the 1660s by Robert Hooke, cell
theory was not well accepted for another 200 years. The work of scientists
such as Schleiden, Schwann, Robert hooke, and Virchow contributed to its
acceptance.
Matthias Schleiden Theodor Schwann

Robert Hooke Rudolf Virchow