Jessica Marie Murphy

• Microscopy


  The study of small objects using a microscope
• Light microscope


  • First developed in the mid 17th century
  • Uses light to form an image
  • Can be used to view live specimens
  • Relatively cheap and easy to use
  • Can magnify up to 2,000 times
• Resolution


  The ability to see two things as separate objects
• Light microscope


  • Has a low resolution with a resolving power of around 200 nanometers
• Electron microscope


  • Developed by scientists in the 1930s
  • Uses electrons to form an image
  • Specimens must be dead first
  • Very expensive and has many conditions
  • Can magnify up to 2 million times
  • Has a high resolution of 0.2 nanometers
• The electron microscope is much better than the light microscope in terms of magnification and resolution
• The high magnification and resolution of the electron microscope allows scientists to see and understand lots more about the subcellular structures of cells
• Animal cell


  Contains a nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, mitochondria, and ribosomes
• Nucleus


  Controls the cell's activities and contains genetic material (DNA)
• Cell membrane


  Responsible for controlling the passage of substances in and out of the cell
• Cytoplasm


  Liquid gel that fills the entire cell and is where chemical reactions occur
• Mitochondria

  Where aerobic respiration occurs to release energy for the cell
• Ribosomes


  Site of protein synthesis
• Plant cell


  • Contains a nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, mitochondria, ribosomes, chloroplasts, and a permanent vacuole
• Chloroplasts


  Contain chlorophyll and are responsible for photosynthesis
• Permanent vacuole

  Filled with cell sap to help keep the cell rigid
• Cell wall


  Made of cellulose, strengthens and supports the plant cell
• Eukaryotic cells (animal, plant, fungi, protista) have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and genetic material enclosed in a nucleus
• Prokaryotic cells (bacteria) have genetic material not enclosed in a nucleus, and may have a cell wall, flagella, and plasmids
• Sperm cell


  • Has a tail to help it swim, many mitochondria in the mid-piece to provide energy, an acrosome with digestive enzymes to penetrate the egg, and a large nucleus to contain DNA
• Muscle cell


  • Has many mitochondria to release energy for contraction, special proteins that cause contraction by sliding across each other, and can store glycogen for respiration
• Nerve cell


  • Has a long axon to carry electrical impulses, dendrites to connect to other nerve cells, and nerve endings that release chemical messengers
• Root hair cell


  • Has a large surface area for absorption, a large permanent vacuole to speed up osmosis, and many mitochondria for active transport of mineral ions
• Xylem cell


  • Forms long hollow tubes to allow easy movement of water and minerals, has spiral lignin to strengthen the cell walls and support the plant
• Phloem cell


  • Has sieve plates with holes to allow easy movement of dissolved food, and companion cells with many mitochondria to provide energy for the food transport
• Diffusion


  The spreading out of particles in a solution or gas from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
• Diffusion is a passive process that does not require additional energy
• Factors affecting rate of diffusion

  • Temperature (higher temperature increases rate)
  • Concentration gradient (steeper gradient increases rate)
  • Surface area (larger surface area increases rate)
• Osmosis


  The diffusion of water molecules from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution through a partially permeable membrane
• Osmosis is a passive process that occurs down a concentration gradient
• Osmosis is important in animal cells to maintain the right internal environment and solute concentrations
• Left side of the membrane

  Has more water molecules
• Right side of the membrane

  Has less water molecules and more sucrose or solute molecules, therefore it is the concentrated side
• Osmosis


  1. Occurs down a concentration gradient or from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution

  2. Net movement of water is from the left side to the right side

  3. Water concentration will eventually be equal on both sides

  4. Water molecules will continue to move back and forth across the partially permeable membrane but there is no further net movement of water, i.e. the water is balanced on both sides
• Importance of osmosis in animal cells

  • Ensures that the solutes like glucose and salts are at the right concentration inside the cell
  • The internal environment needs to be kept just right for the cell to work
  • The difference in concentration between the cell's internal environment and the external solution will determine how much osmosis occurs
• Effect of different solutions on a red blood cell

  1. Hypotonic solution: Water moves into the cell, causing it to stretch and potentially burst

  2. Isotonic solution: No net movement of water, i.e. no osmosis occurs

  3. Hypertonic solution: Water moves out of the cell, causing it to shrink and not function properly
• Osmosis is a required practical that looks at the effect of concentration of salt or sugar on the mass of plant tissue
• Active transport


  • Moves substances from a more dilute solution to a more concentrated solution, i.e. against a concentration gradient
  • Requires energy from respiration
• Examples of active transport

  • Mineral ions moving from the dilute solution in the soil into the more concentrated solution in the root hair cells of a plant
  • Glucose moving from the dilute solution in the small intestine into the more concentrated solution in the bloodstream
• Nucleus


  Contains chromosomes made up of DNA, which codes for genes