01 Bio Cell 2024

Tanjong Katong Girls’ School
Biology (Syllabus 6093)
Cell Structure and

Organisation
Chapter 01
Learning Outcomes
(a) Identify and state the functions of the following cell structures
(including organelles) of typical plant and animal cells from diagrams,
light micrographs and as seen under the light microscope using prepared
slides and fresh material treated with an appropriate temporary staining
technique:
● cell wall
● cell membrane
● cytoplasm
● nucleus
● cell vacuoles (large, sap-filled in plant cells, small, temporary in
animal cells)
● chloroplasts
Learning Outcomes
(b) Identify and state the functions of the following membrane systems
and organelles from diagrams and electron micrographs:
● endoplasmic reticulum
● Golgi body
● mitochondria
● ribosomes
(c) Compare the structure of typical animal and plant cells
(d) Explain how the structures of specialised cells are adapted to their
functions (e.g. muscle cell – many mitochondria to supply more
energy, root hair cell – large surface area of cell membrane for
greater absorption, red blood cell – lack of nucleus allowing it to
transport more oxygen)
A cell is a unit of life.
It consists of a mass
of living matter called
protoplasm.
How small is a cell?
Just saying…
1 µm = 0.001 mm
1 nm = 0.000001 mm
Plant cells vs. Animal cells
Plant cell Animal cell

Parts of a Cell
● Cell surface membrane (light microscope)
● Surrounds the cytoplasm of the cell
● Made up of lipids (fats) and proteins
● Partially permeable. It controls the movement of
substances in and out of the cell.

● Cytoplasm (light microscope)
● Gelatinous substance that fills the inside of the cell,
enclosed by the cell surface membrane

● Most chemical reactions occur here
● Contains organelles (cellular structures that performs
specific functions)
Parts of a Cell
● Nucleus (light microscope)
● Surrounded by a double membrane (nuclear
membrane)
● Contains genetic information (DNA) in the form of
chromatin / chromosomes (Chapter 14)

● Controls cell activities e.g. cell growth, repair of cell
parts, etc
● Essential for cell division (Chapter 15)
Parts of a Cell
● Cell wall (light microscope)
● Found in plant cells and bacterial cells (Chapter 11)
● Made up of cellulose (a type of carbohydrate) in
plant cells
● Fully permeable
● Protects the cell from physical damage and gives
the cell a fixed shape

● Maintains turgor pressure in plant cells (Chapter 2)
Parts of a Cell
● Vacuole (light microscope)
● Fluid-filled space enclosed by a partially
permeable membrane
● Plant cells
○ Large central vacuole containing cell sap

(sugars, amino acids, mineral salts, waste
substances)
● Animal cells
○ Small and temporary vacuoles

Parts of a Cell
● Chloroplast (light microscope)
● Found in plant cells
● Double membrane
● Contains chlorophyll, a green pigment, that helps
the plant cell to absorb light energy and convert it

to chemical energy and produce glucose →
photosynthesis (Chapter 12)
An electron micrograph of a chloroplast

Parts of a Cell
● Mitochondria (singular: mitochondrion) (electron
microscope)
● Double membrane
● Performs aerobic respiration, a process that breaks
down glucose in the presence of oxygen to release

energy for the cell to function (Chapter 7)
● Ribosomes (electron microscope)

● Synthesises proteins
● Either attached to endoplasmic
reticulum or lie freely in the

cytoplasm
An electron micrograph of a mitochondrion
Parts of a Cell
● Endoplasmic reticulum (electron microscope)
● Network of flattened spaces enclosed by
membranes
● Two types: rough endoplasmic reticulum and
smooth endoplasmic reticulum

● Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER)
○ Continuous with nuclear membrane

○ Ribosomes are attached to the membrane
○ Transports proteins made by ribosomes to the
Golgi body for secretion out of the cell
Parts of a Cell
● Endoplasmic reticulum (continued)
● Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER)
○ Connected to the RER

○ More tubular than the RER
○ No ribosomes are attached to the membrane
○ Synthesise fats and steroids
○ Breaks down harmful substances to harmless
substances, a process known as detoxification
Parts of a Cell
An electron micrograph of the RER
An electron micrograph of the SER

Parts of a Cell
● Golgi body (or Golgi apparatus) (electron
microscope)
● Stacks of flattened spaces enclosed
by membranes, with vesicles

constantly fusing and pinching off
from the membranes
● Chemically modifies and packages
substances made by the ER for

secretion out of the cell
An electron micrograph of the Golgi body

How vesicles
“pinch” and
“fuse” between
ER and Golgi
body
Plant cells vs. Animal cells
Plant Cell Animal Cell
Cell wall is present Cell wall is absent
Contains chloroplasts Does not contain chloroplasts

Vacuole is large and centrally
Small and numerous vacuoles
located
Note: there are many different types of animal and plant cells. The examples stated in the table refers to
generic animal and plant cells.
How are cells organised in a multicellular organism like us?
How are cells organised in a multicellular organism like us?
Cells
A group of cells with similar structures working together to

Tissues perform a specific function. Simple (one type of cell) and
complex tissues (more than one type of cells).
A group of tissues working together to perform a specific

Organ
function.
Organ system A group of organs working together for a common purpose.
Organism
Why does a male sperm cell have a tail? What is so
important about the tail? Why must a female egg
cell be so big?
Have you ever wonder…
Why are there so many different

type of cells in a human body? Is
there a need for so many
different types?
Cell Differentiation
● All cells presumably derive from stem cells and as they
mature, they become more specialised in performing their
functions.
● Cell differentiation is a process by which a cell becomes
specialised for a specific function.
● In order to perform their function optimally, they will develop
special characteristics → structure determines function.
○ Example: how does possessing a tail enable sperm cells
to perform their function well?
● In this chapter
○ Red blood cell
○ Muscle cell
○ Root hair cell
Red Blood Cells
● Function
○ Transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the cells
of the body
● Structural adaptation
● Contains haemoglobin (red pigment)
○ Able to bind with oxygen to form oxyhaemoglobin so

that oxygen is able to be transported
● Lacks a nucleus
○ Enable the cell to store more haemoglobin to transport

more oxygen
Red Blood Cells
● Structural adaptation (continued)
● Biconcave shape
○ Increase surface area to volume ratio

○ Increase rate of absorption (diffusion) of oxygen into
cell
● Flexible
○ Able to squeeze through narrow blood capillaries

Muscle Cells
● Function
○ Contract (and relax) to create
a pulling force to stabilise or
move parts of the body of the
organism
● Structural adaptation
● Contains large amount of
mitochondria
○ Release energy from
aerobic respiration for
muscle cell to contract
Root Hair Cells
● Function
○ Absorb water and mineral salts
from soil into cell
● Structural adaptation root hairs
● Long and narrow protrusion
○ Increase surface area to

volume ratio
extensions
○ Increase rate of absorption
of root hair
of water and mineral salts cells
into cell
Root Hair Cells
● Structural adaptation (continued)
● Cell sap contains high concentration of mineral salts
○ Decrease water potential of the vacuole

○ Water molecules enter cell continuously by osmosis
● Contains large amount of mitochondria
○ Release energy from aerobic respiration for active

transport of mineral salts into cell
nucleus cell wall
cell surface membrane

large central vacuole
cytoplasm

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Tanjong Katong Girls’ School

Biology (Syllabus 6093)

Cell Structure and

Plant cell Animal cell

● Made up of lipids (fats) and proteins

● Partially permeable. It controls the movement of

substances in and out of the cell.

enclosed by the cell surface membrane

● Contains organelles (cellular structures that performs

chromatin / chromosomes (Chapter 14)

● Made up of cellulose (a type of carbohydrate) in

● Protects the cell from physical damage and gives

the cell a fixed shape

○ Large central vacuole containing cell sap

○ Small and temporary vacuoles

● Contains chlorophyll, a green pigment, that helps

the plant cell to absorb light energy and convert it

An electron micrograph of a chloroplast

● Performs aerobic respiration, a process that breaks

down glucose in the presence of oxygen to release

● Ribosomes (electron microscope)

● Either attached to endoplasmic

reticulum or lie freely in the

smooth endoplasmic reticulum

○ Continuous with nuclear membrane

○ Connected to the RER

An electron micrograph of the RER

An electron micrograph of the SER

by membranes, with vesicles

substances made by the ER for

An electron micrograph of the Golgi body

Contains chloroplasts Does not contain chloroplasts

A group of cells with similar structures working together to

A group of tissues working together to perform a specific

Organ system A group of organs working together for a common purpose.

Have you ever wonder…

Why are there so many different

○ Able to bind with oxygen to form oxyhaemoglobin so

○ Enable the cell to store more haemoglobin to transport

○ Increase surface area to volume ratio

○ Able to squeeze through narrow blood capillaries

○ Increase surface area to

○ Decrease water potential of the vacuole

● Contains large amount of mitochondria

○ Release energy from aerobic respiration for active

cell surface membrane

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