9.1 Study Guide Flashcards
Explain the primary difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Prokaryotic (or ‘pre-nucleus’) cells are classified as such primarily because of their lack of nuclei to hold genetic information in, as well as commonly shared differences compared to eukaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells are classified as such primarily because they contain nuclei to hold genetic information. Eukaryotic cells are also generally much more complex than prokaryotic cells and can perform a wider variety of functions.
Provide three distinctions between the structures of bacteria (prokaryotic) cells and plant and animal (eukaryotic) cells.
- Prokaryotic cells contain significantly fewer internal structures than eukaryotic cells, both in quantity and type.
- Eukaryotic cells contain nuclei to hold and protect their genetic information/code, while prokaryotic cells lack this structure.
- Between different types of eukaryotic cells, there is very high variation compared to different types of prokaryotic cells. This is due to eukaryotic cells’ high variety and quantity of internal structures and functions.
What cell structures are shared by all cells? What are the purposes/functions of these structures?
All cells share genetic information, a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and ribosomes, which are the basic internal structures required to keep a cell together and enable it to reproduce.
Explain the pros and cons of prokaryotic cell structure.
While prokaryotic cells are very simple and, thus, have low diversity and cannot perform many specialized processes or combine to form larger organisms, their simplicity allows them to reproduce at very high rates and require low amounts of energy. This is because they have very few structures and processes to power with ATP.
Explain the pros and cons of eukaryotic cell structure.
While eukaryotic cells are quite complex and, thus require high amounts of energy to function and reproduce, their complexity allows them to perform a massive variety of specialized processes. This allows them to work cooperatively to form larger organisms powered by many complex functions and processes.
Describe the process(es) by which most cells rid themselves of waste. What is a difference between the methods of animal, plant, and bacterial cells?
Most cells rid themselves of waste by pushing small pieces of waste, like individual molecules, out through their cell membranes and dissolving larger pieces of waste, like old internal structures, into their component parts and repurposing the pieces for other cell functions.
Label each cell type as having a cell membrane, a cell wall, or both:
Plant Cell
Animal Cell
Bacterial Cell
Plant Cell: Cell Membrane and Cell Wall
Animal Cell: Cell Membrane
Bacterial Cell: Cell Membrane and (usually) Cell Wall
What are the functions of cell membranes? Why are they so important and shared by all cells?
Cell membranes have multiple extremely important functions. These include giving a cell shape and structure while containing all internal structures together and preventing dangerous or damaging particles from entering a cell while still being able to allow in selected required resources.
Explain how some plant cells and bacterial cells can produce energy differently than most other cells.
While most cells require primarily ATP for energy and can transfer energy to produce it by taking it from absorbed biomolecules, some cells have other ways of taking in energy. These include some plant and bacterial cells, which all have special internal structures known as chloroplasts, which are filled with green pigment and allow these cells to absorb light energy from the sun. This light energy can be repurposed and transformed into usable energy by burning it to produce sugars, which are important biomolecules in cells.
Fill in the blanks: Many of a cell’s proteins are produced by ribosomes in the cell’s _____, while many of the cell’s lipids are produced in the cell’s _____. After being created, these biomolecules are transported by _____ to different locations around the cell.
Many of a cell’s proteins are produced by ribosomes in the cell’s |Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)|, while many of the cell’s lipids are produced in the cell’s |Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)|. After being created, these biomolecules are transported by vesicles to different locations around the cell.
What organelle are many proteins transported to after being produced in the endoplasmic reticulum? What is the role of this organelle?
After being produced in the endoplasmic reticulum, many proteins are transported to a different organelle known as the golgi apparatus. In the golgi apparatus, proteins are ‘tagged’ with extra pieces that give them specific locations and roles within or outside the cell.
Explain why some cells have such large differences between their amounts of rough ER vs their amounts of smooth ER.
Because rough ER produces proteins and smooth ER produces lipids, cells that require high levels of proteins (like muscle cells) would contain high amounts of rough ER compared to smooth ER, while cells that require high levels of lipids, like liver cells, would contain high amounts of smooth ER compared to rough ER.
