Specialised Cells

• Nerve Cells


  Found in only animals, Nerve cells carry information throughout the body. They have long axons, made up of fibres with have star/tree-shaped ends. They have all the regular organelles and make up the brain.
• Sperm Cells


  Found in animals, they contain half of the genetic material to fertilise the egg. They have a tail (flagellum) for swimming. The head contains the nucleus, and they don't have unnecessary organelles such as ribosomes. However, they've lots of mitochondria.
• Muscle cells


  Found in animals, these cells extend and contract, moving other cells around them. These cells are long, elastic and able to slide over each other. Muscle cells have all the regular organelles, but have extra mitochondria.
• Red Blood Cells


  Found in animals, these cells carry oxygen to organs and carbon dioxide back for exhaling. They are very small, to travel easily, and disk shaped, to increase surface area and oxygen absorption. They contain no organelles, except for haemoglobins, to carry oxygen.
• White Blood Cells


  Found in animals, these cells are part of the immune system and help fight infections. These cells are bigger than red blood cells with a spherical shape. They have a nucleus and all regular organelles.
• Guard Cells


  Found in plant leaves and stems, these cells are responsible for opening and closing stomata to let in air. Operating in pairs, these cells become crescent shaped to open up to stomata and collapse to close it. They have many small vacuoles.
• Conducting Cells


  Vascular tissues that come in a few types, mainly Xylem and Phloem. They are responsible for taking fluids and nutrients around the plant.
• Root Cells


  Act as extensions of the plant under the soil increasing surface area and therefore mineral and water absorption. They contain all plant organelles except chloroplast. They are have a large central area with an elongation on one side that protrudes.
• Xylem Cells


  Type of vascular tissue and conducting cells that transport water and dissolved minerals up the plant from the roots. They have cellulose cell walls and are made up of hollowed out cells creating a tube up the plant and therefore have no organelles or nuclei.
• Phloem Cells


  Type of vascular tissue and conducting cell that transports glucose up and down the plant. They are not found in the roots of plants and are alive cells despite not having organelles or nuclei. They are tube-like cells that join together to make a longer tube.