Chapter 1

Cells

Notes

1.1 All living things have certain characteristics

• Living things are called organisms and they have certain properties that
set them apart from non-living things.
o They Reproduce
o They move
o They are sensitive to stimuli
o They excrete
o They respire
o They take in nutrients- nutrition
o They are made of cells

1.2 Microscopes are used to study cells

• Living organisms are made of thousands of cells.

• They can be seen using a light microscope.
• A good light microscope can magnify an image by 1500 times.

1.3 All cells have a cell membrane

• All cells have a cell surface membrane around the outside.

• Inside the cell membrane, there is a clear jelly like substance called
cytoplasm.
• There are many organelles inside the cytoplasm including the nucleus. ‘

1.4 Plants have a cell wall

• All plant cells have a cellulose cell wall.

• Cellulose belongs to a group of molecules called polysaccharides:- many
simple molecules joined together to form a complex molecule.
• Cellulose forms fibers, which cirss-cross over another to from a very tough
covering for the cell. It helps to protect and support cells. It prevents the
plant cell from bursting when absorbing water by osmosis.
• The cell walls it fully permeable.:- because of spaces between the fibres.

1.5 Cell membranes are partially permeable

• All cells have membranes that surround it called the plasma membrane or
the cell surface membrane.
• It is made of fat and protein.
• Its function is to control what goes in and out of the cell.
• It is partially permeable because it lets some substances through but not
others.
1.6 The cytoplasm is a complex solution

• The cytoplasm is clear jelly that fills the inside of the cell.
• It is mostly made of water but contains many substance dissolved in it like
proteins.
• Many Metabolic reactions take place inside the cell.

1.7 Most cells contain vacuoles.

• A vacuole is a space inside a cell that is surrounded by a membrane.

• In plants cells, there are large vacuoles containing cell sap, which contains
sugars.
• In animal cells the vacuoles are smaller and contain food or water.

1.8 Chloroplasts trap the energy of the sunlight

• Chloroplasts are found in most green part of the plant.

• They contain they green pigment chlorophyll, which absorbs sunlight,
which is needed for energy to make food by photosynthesis.
• Chloroplasts contain starch molecules that have been made by
photosynthesis.
• Animals never contain starch molecules

1.9 Mitochondria releases energy from food

• Most cells have mitochondria as this is where the energy from food is
released. The energy is used to move and grow.
• It is released by combining it with oxygen in a process called aerobic
respiration.
• The more active a cell the more mitochondria it has.

1.10The nucleus stores inherited information

• The nucleus is where the information is stored that tell the cell to make the
right type of proteins
• The information is stored in chromosomes.
• The chromosomes are long and thin but when they are dividing, they
become short and thick.

1.11Similar cells are grouped to form tissues

• Some cells are specialized to do certain jobs for example muscle cells.
• Often groups of cells that specialize in the same task are found together,
are called tissues. Example: the cells that line the inside of the stomach,
make enzymes to digest the food.
• There are other tissues in the stomach wall. The layer of muscles cells that
make the wall move in and out mixing the enzymes with the food.

1.12Tissues make up organs and systems

• All the tissues in the stomach work together.

• A group of tissues that work together is called a organ.
• The stomach is only one of the organ that help with the digestion of food,
the mouth and the intestine also helps.
• A group of organs that work together is called and organ system.
• A group organ systems that work together is called a living orgainism.

Similarities Between plant and animal cells

Have cell membranes
Cytoplasm
Nucleus
Mitochondrion

Plants cells Animal cells

Have chloroplasts Don’t have
Have cellulose cell walls Don’t have
Have large vacuoles containing Have small vacuoles
cell sap
Have starch granules Have glycogen granules
Regular in shape Irregular in shape
enzymes