Science 8 Notes

Unit 2: Topic 3- The Cell and Its Structure

Introduction to Cells

The cells in your fingers, the cells in a leaf, and a single-celled

_______________________ all have many things in common!
One way to understand the structure and function of cells in multi-
cellular (many celled) organisms, is to investigate the characteristics
of unicellular (__________________-celled) organisms.
Microscopic Organisms
Chlamydomonas- Makes its own food through photosynthesis, and
moves by means of two long, whiplike structures called______________

Euglena- A common ___________ organism that also photosynthesizes,

and moves by means of a single flagellum
Paramecium- Paramecia obtain their own food from the external
environment. They are covered with short, hair-like structures
called __________________ that are used both for movement and to
sweep food into a tiny groove that is similar to a mouth.

Stentor- Stentor and some other unicellular organisms produce

stalks to attach themselves to the bottom of ponds and streams.
Stentor has cilia, but these structures are used to bring in
______________ rather than movement.

Diatoms- Varied in shape and beautiful, diatoms produce shells

around themselves and make their own food through
______________________________________
Volvox- Living balls are made of many volvox living together as a
_________________________. Each has its own flagellum and makes its own
food by photosynthesis

Parts of A Cell
The Animal Cell

1) Cell _____________________- surrounds the cell and protects the

cells contents. It controls what comes in and what goes out of
the cell

2) ___________________- jelly-like material in which other parts of the

cell float. Like blood inside of your body, cytoplasm is
constantly moving inside of the cell. It distributes materials
such as oxygen and food to different parts of the cell

3) ________________- controls most of the cells activities and contains

the genetic information that directs growth and reproduction

4) _________________- balloon-like structures that act as storage

spaces for food, water and wastes. They are surrounded by a
membrane. Plants have a very large central vacuole for water
storage.
The Plant Cell

5) __________________- A thick, rigid wall made of cellulose that

provides support for plant cells. These are NOT found in
animal cells

6) _________________________- photosynthesis takes place in the

chloroplasts. Photosynthesis uses energy from the Sun to make
carbohydrates.

Chloroplasts contain the pigment chlorophyll, which absorbs

sunlight. These are NOT found in animal cells

Cell Size and Function

Instead of a large tree having millions of tiny cells making it up, why
arent they made from one big cell?

To carry out their work, cells need a constant supply of materials

such as ______________________, water, and food particles. They also
need to get rid of waste products.

A large cell would need a lot more materials and get rid of a lot more
____________________. However, all of these things need to pass through
the cell membrane.

Imagine that you were in a round swimming pool 50 m in diameter.

To keep the imaginary cell alive, you need to swim to the center of
the pool and delivering beach balls (food). As well, you must swim
back to the side carrying pool noodles (wastes). Suppose you do this
12 times in 15 mintues.
How much harder would it be if the pool was 100m in diameter??
Small, Smaller, and Smallest

Cells come in a variety of _______________ and sizes. Most cells have a

narrow size range depending on their function. Most cells in plants
and animals have cells that are between 10-50 micrometers in
diameter. Bacterial cells are much smaller at only 1-5 micrometers
across.