Unit 1: Cells

What is a cell?
• A cell is a unit of life
• Cells consists of living matter called protoplasm
• Its composition varies from animal to animal and from plant to
plant
• Consists of 2 forms
• Sol (liquid) state
• Gel state (semi-solid)
How to view cells?
• Use microscopes – can magnify cell sizes
• Light Microscope (LM)
• Pass visible light through a specimen
• Magnify cellular structures with lenses
• Magnifies up to 1000x
• Electron Microscope (EM)
• Uses a beam of electrons
• Has a higher resolving power than the light
microscope
• Able to magnify more than 1000x
Learning outcomes
(c ) identify, from fresh preparations or on diagrams or
photomicrographs, the cell membrane, nucleus and
cytoplasm in an animal cell

(d) identify, from diagrams or photomicrographs, the

cellulose cell wall, cell membrane, sap vacuole,
cytoplasm, nucleus and chloroplasts in a plant cell

(f) state the function of the cell membrane in controlling

the passage of substances into and out of the cell
Animal Cell
Animal Cell
Plant Cell
Plant Cell
Characteristics of Cells
• A surrounding membrane – Plasma membrane
• Protoplasm – cell contents in thick fluid
• Organelles – structures for cell function
• Control centre with DNA - Nucleus

Protoplasm of a cell consists of:

- Cell membrane
- Cytoplasm where most cell activities occur and contains enzymes and
organelles. It can exist in sol or get state
- Nucleus which consists of nucleoplasm, nuclear envelope, one or more
nucleoli and chromatin. It controls cell activities and is essential for cell
division
 Nucleus
• Consists of a
• small spherical shaped
• Filled with nucleoplasm,
• surrounded by a nuclear envelope
• Contains Chromatin: a network of long thread-like structures (DNA
bound to proteins)

• Controls the normal cell activities

• Responsible for cell reproduction
• Needed for the continued life of the cell and repair of worn-out
parts
• Carries hereditary processes
What’s in the cytoplasm?
• A denser liquid
• Fills all the space between cell membrane and nucleus in
both animal and plant cell
• Embedded in the cytoplasm are important organelles
• Workshop or ware house of cell

• Cytoplasm is the place where most life processes occur

• All the substances that have to move in or out of the
nucleus have to pass through it
Cell Surface Membrane
• Separates the inside of the cell from the outside environment
• Consists of Phospholipid Bilayer
• Sandwiched by protein

• Partially permeable to control substances entering or leaving

the cell
• Allowing some substances to cross more easily than others
• Block passage of some substances altogether
• Also known as Plasma Membrane/selectively permeable/
partially permeable membrane
• Lets osmosis occur
Cell Surface Membrane
Plant Cell Wall
• All plants have cellulose cell walls.
• Made up of cellulose fibers.
• Arranged in criss-cross manner
• It is fully permeable to all substances.
• protect the cell from mechanical damage and help the
cell maintain its rigidity under turgor pressure
• prevents over-expansion of the cell when water moves into
the cell
• Being fully permeable it lets all the molecules to pass through
it
• Note:
• bacterial and fungi cells also have a cell wall, but it is not
made of cellulose.
A cell organelle: Mitochondria
• Mitochondria: small spherical or rod-shaped
organelles
• Present both in animal and plant cell
• Where respiration takes place
• Involved in release of energy from food substances
during cell respiration
Learning outcomes
(E) Compare The Visible Differences In Structure Of The
Animal And The Plant Cells Examined

(G) State The Function Of The Cell Wall In Maintaining

Turgor (Turgidity) Within The Cell
Cell Organelles: Present in the Plant cell

Chloroplast
• Green pigment / Colour containing bodies
• Green pigment is called chlorophyll
• Sites where plants make food
• by combining carbon dioxide and water, using
energy from sunlight, to make sugar
Cell Organelles: Present in the Plant cell
Cell Organelles: Vacuoles
• In Animal Cell
• Present in both plant and animal cells
• A fluid-filled space enclosed by a membrane
• Animal cells may have many small vacuoles but are usually not
permanent.
• May contain waste materials, water and food substances
• In a plant cell:
• Usually a large central vacuole present also called a storage sac
• Contains a liquid called cell sap
• This large vacuole is enclosed by a membrane called tonoplast
• Cell sap contains dissolved substances such as sugars, amino
acids, and mineral salts
• Make the cell firm by swelling that helps the plant cell maintain
support and rigidity
Cell wall vs. Cell membrane

Q. How permeable are the cell wall and cell

membrane in a plant cell?
Cell Wall Cell Membrane
A Fully Fully
B Fully Partially
C Partially Fully
D Partially Partially
 Animal vs. Plant cells
Plant Cell
• Presence of cellulose cell wall
• Presence of chloroplast
• A large central vacuole
• Cytoplasm reduced to a thin
lining
• Present of starch grains
• Absence of lysosomes
Animal Cell
• Absence of cellulose cell wall
• Absence of chloroplast
• Numerous small temporary
vacuoles (lysosomes)
• Cytoplasm fills the cell
• Absence of starch grains
Animal vs. Plant cells
Q. Which cell structures are found in plant cells and
animal cells?

A. Cell membrane and chloroplasts

B. Cell membrane and nucleus
C. Cell wall and chloroplasts
D. Cell wall and nucleus