Specialised Cells

• Specialised cells


  • Cells that are adopted to carry out a certain function
• Differentiation


  1. Process by which cells change to become specialised

  2. Most differentiation occurs when an organism develops

  3. Most animal cells can only differentiate when at an early stage of an animal's life

  4. Lots of plant cells can differentiate for the whole of the plant's life
• Sperm cells


  • Specialised to carry male DNA to the egg
  • Have tails to help it swim to the egg
  • Have lots of mitochondria to provide energy for swimming
• Nerve cells


  • Specialised to carry electrical signals around the body
  • Are long to cover more distance in the body
  • Have branches at the end to connect to other nerve cells
• Muscle cells


  • Specialised to contract (shorten)
  • Long so they have space to contract
• Muscle cells


  • Have mitochondria
  • Provides energy for contracting
• Root hair cells


  • Specialised to absorb water and minerals
  • Have long hairs
  • Hairs increase surface area of root to absorb water and minerals more effectively
• Xylem cells


  • Specialised to transport water
  • Found in plant stem
  • Form long tubes
  • Tubes carry water and minerals from roots to leaves
  • Have very thick walls to provide support to plants
  • Have no internal structure to allow water and minerals to flow easily
• Phloem cells


  • Specialised to transport food
  • Have very few subcellular structures to allow space inside cell for food to flow through easily