Cell specialisation

• What are sperm cells specialised for?

  Reproduction
• How are sperm cells specialised?

  It has a long tail and a streamlined head to help it swim

  There are a lot of mitochondria in the cell to provide energy

  It carries enzymes in its head to digest through the egg cell membrane
• What are nerve cells specialised for?

  Rapid signaling
• What is the job of a nerve cell?

  Nerve cells carry out electrical signals from on part of the body to another
• How is a nerve cell specialised?

  The axon is long and carries the electrical impulses from one part of the body to another
• What are the axons covered in and how does this help the nerve cells to be specialised?

  Myelin which insulates the axon and speeds up the transmission of nerve impulses
• What does the end of the axon have and how does that help the nerve cell to be specialised?

  Synapses which are junctions that allow the impulse to pass for one nerve cell to another
• What does the cell body of the nerve cell contain to help it become specialised?

  Dendrites which increase the surface area so that other nerve cells can connect more easily
• What are muscle cells specialised for?

  Contraction
• How are muscle cells specialised?

  They contain protein fibres which can change their length
• What happens when a muscle cell contracts?

  The protein fibres shorten decreasing the length of the cell
• What is another way in which muscle cells are specialised?

  They are packed full of mitochondria to provide energy for muscle contraction
• Muscle cells work together to form muscle tissue
• Specialised

  When cells have special adaptations which help them to carry out their particular function
• What is it called when cells become specialised?

  Differentiation
• What are root hair cells specialised for?

  To absorb water and minerals
• How are root hair cells specialised for their function?

  Roots have hairs which increase the surface area of the root so it can absorb water and dissolved minerals more effectively
• What is another way in which root hair cells are specialised?

  They do not contain chloroplasts because they are underground
• What do xylem cells carry?

  Water and dissolved minerals
• How are xylem cells adapted?

  They have very thick walls containing lignin which provides support to the plant
• What causes xylem cells to die?

  Due to the fact that the cell walls are sealed with lignin
• What is another way in which xylem cells are adapted?

  The end walls between the cells have broken down this means that the cells now form a long tube so water and dissolved minerals can flow easily
• What is another adaptation of xylem cells?

  Xylem cells have no internal structures which makes it easier for water and minerals to flow
• What do phloem cells carry?

  Dissolved sugars
• How are phloem tubes adapted?

  They have phloem vessel cells which have no nucleus and only limited cytoplasm this allows for dissolved sugars to move through the cell interior
• What do the end of the phloem vessel cells have?

  Pores called sieve plates these features allow for dissolved sugars to move through the cell interior
• Each phloem vessel cells has a companion cell connected by pores
• Mitochondria in the companion cell provide energy to the phloem vessel cell