Cell specialisation

• What does structure mean?

  The components that compose a living organism and how they are organised to function
• What does specialisation mean?

  When a cell changes to become adapted to carry out a specific job
• What does function mean?

  The role
• What does differentiation mean?

  The process of being specialised
• What is the structure in white blood cells?

  Irregular shape, they can change shape to squeeze out of blood vessels and get to the site of infection
• What is the function in white blood cells?

  Help the body fight infection and other diseases
• What is the structure in root hair cells in plants?

  Root hair cells are adapted for taking up water and mineral ions by having a large surface area to increase the rate of absorption
• What is the function in root hair cells in plants?

  Plants absorb water from the soil by osmosis. They absorb mineral ions by active transport, against the concentration gradient
• What is the structure in palisade mesophyll in a leaf?

  It has many chloroplasts hat contain chlorophyll to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis. The vacuole can become turgid pushing the chloroplasts to the sides of the cell so they are closer to the surface for absorbing as much sunlight as possible. Their regular shape means more cells can be arranged at the top of the leaf to maximise the sunlight absorption for photosynthesis. The cell wall is also transparent to allow sunlight to penetrate it
• What is the function in palisade mesophyll in a leaf?

  Maximise light absorption for photosynthesis
• What is the structure in sperm cell in reproduction?

  A tail to move them towards an egg cell, many mitochondria to provide energy an acrosome (part of the tip of the head) that releases enzymes to digest the egg membrane
• What is the function in sperm cells in reproduction?

  Provide half of the genetic material to form a fertilised embryo upon fertilising with an egg
• What is the structure in red blood cells?

  They are small and flexible so that they can fit through blood capillaries, they have a biconcave shape. They are the shape of a disc that is curved inwards on both sides to maximise their surface area for oxygen absorption. They are thin, so there is only a short distance for the oxygen to diffuse to reach the centre of the cell
• What is the function in red blood cells?

  Carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it throughout our body
• What is the structure of egg cell in reproduction?

  The egg cell is cytoplasm contains nutrients for the growth of the early embryo the haploid nucleus contains genetic material for fertilisation, the cell membrane changes after fertilisation by a single sperm so that no more sperm can enter
• What is the function of the egg cell in reproduction?

  Haploid nucleus contains half the chromosomes of a body cell, so that when the nucleus from the sperm fuses with the egg cell, nucleus the full number of chromosomes is restored at fertilisation