Alexandros Tricky Topics Flashcards
Diameter of mitochondria
0.2-0.7μm
Length of mitochondria
1-2 μm
Diameter of a nucleus
10 μm
Length of chloroplasts
3-5 μm
Length of prokaryotes
0.2-2.0 μm
Length of eukaryotic cells
10-100 μm
What is at the end of the head of a sperm cell?
Acrosome
Specialisation in nerve cells?
Lots of dendrites to make connections to other nerve cells.
Axon carries the nerve impulse from one place to another, very long.
Synapses are adapted to passing impulses to other cells or between a nerve cell and a muscle in the body using special transmitter chemicals.
Specialisation in muscle cells?
They contain special proteins that slide over each other, making the fibres contract.
They contain many mitochondria to transfer the energy needed for the chemical reactions that take place as the cells contract and relax.
They can store glycogen, a chemical that breaks down and is used in cellular respiration by mitochondria to transfer energy for the fibres to contract.
Specialisation in sperm cells?
A long tail to help the sperm swim through the female reproductive system.
Middle section is full of mitochondria for transferring energy for the tail to work.
The acrosome stores digestive enzymes for breaking down the outer layers of the egg.
A large nucleus contains the genetic material to be passed on.
Specialisation of root hair cells?
Hairs greatly increase the surface area available for water to move into the cell.
The large permanent vacuole speeds up movement of water by osmosis from the soil across the root hair cell.
They have many mitochondria to transfer the energy needed for the active transport of mineral ions into the root hair cells.
Specialisation of photosynthetic cells?
Chloroplasts trap light for photosynthesis.
Positioned in continuous layers of leaves and outer layers of the stem of a plant to absorb more light.
They have a large permanent vacuole to keep the cell rigid as a result of osmosis.
When all arranged together, they form photosynthetic tissue, supporting the stem, and keep the leaf spread out so it can capture light easily.
Contains chloroplasts with chlorophyll, to capture light for photosynthesis.
Specialisation of xylem cells?
They form the chemical lignin which spirals in the cell walls. They cells die and form long hollow tubes for water and mineral ions to pass through from one end of the plant to the other.
The spirals and rings of lignin in the xylem cells make them very strong and help them withstand the pressure of water moving up the plant. They also support the plant stem.
Specialisation of phloem cells?
The cell walls between cells break down to form special sieve plates, allowing water carrying dissolved food to move freely up and down the tubes to where it’s needed.
Phloem cells lose a lot of their internal structure but are supported by companion cells to keep them alive, containing mitochondria, producing energy needed to move dissolved food up and down the plant in phloem.
What is the net movement?
Particles moving in - particles moving out
How is oxygen used in diffusion in cells?
Cells need oxygen for respiration (mitochondria), and cells surrounded with oxygen (high concentration), transporting oxygen from the lungs into the bloodstream.
Then, oxygen is used to generate energy in respiration, and produces carbon dioxide. There is a higher concentration of carbon dioxide inside the cell, so the carbon dioxide moves out.
How is urea used in diffusion in cells?
Urea (waste product produced in cells) diffuses out of the cells into the blood plasma and is secreted by the kidneys.
Factors affecting diffusion?
Concentration gradient
Temperature (gives kinetic energy)
Surface area (folds in cell lining)
Isotonic
Concentration is the same inside and outside the cell
Hypertonic solution
More concentrated outside than inside the cell.
Hypotonic solution
More concentrated inside than outside the cell.
Osmosis in animal cells
The cell will die if place in extreme conditions, so it’s extremely concentrated outside or inside to cause the cell to shrivel up/burst.
Equipment for osmosis RP
Cork borer Potato Balance Knife Test tube Measuring cylinder Distilled water Label/pen to label each test tube Various concentrations of sucrose Paper towel to dry potato Ruler Sieve
What is an appropriate way to measure the effect of osmosis on a potato?
Measure starting and current mass and calculate percentage change.
What happens when we increase the concentration of sugar outside the potato?
The gain in mass decreases-there are less water particles.
How do plants use osmosis?
It’s supports their stems and leaves. Water moves into cells by osmosis until no more can enter, known as turgor pressure. They rely on hypotonic fluids surrounding the cell, keeping the cell turgid. If it’s hypertonic to the cell contents, water will leave the cell and the cell becomes plasmolysed and dies if osmotic balance is not restored.
Turgid>Flaccid>Plasmolysed
Use of active transport in the body
Glucose is needed for cell respiration, getting as much as possible from the gut. The concentration of glucose in the bloodstream is kept stead, so sometimes it’s higher than the concentration in the gut, moving the glucose from the gut into the blood, against the concentration gradient.
Use of active transport in plants
Mineral ions in the soil are found in very dilute solutions (more dilute than the solution in root hair cells), so the cells absorb the mineral ions, against the concentration gradient.
How are fish adapted for surface area:volume (diffusion)?
The filaments give the gills a massive surface area, also having a thin membrane to provide a short diffusion pathway.
The filaments have an efficient blood supply to take the oxygenated blood away, ensuring the concentration gradient is always high.
What is the problem with having a small surface area : volume ratio?
Gases and food molecules can’t reach every cell.
Metabolic waste cannot be removed quick enough to avoid cell poisoning.
Mitosis stages
The longest part is when chromosomes are replicated in the nucleus.
Then, the nucleus divides, and chromosomes are push to each end of the cell.
Finally, the cell divides into 2 daughter cells.
What is the purpose of mitosis?
To replace old cells to repair damaged tissue.
To help organisms grow.
Problems with bone marrow transplants
The donor’s bone marrow has to be compatible with the patient, otherwise, the white blood cells produced by the donated bone marrow could attack the patient’s body.
There is a risk of passing viruses from the donor to the patient.
Why is therapeutic cloning better than bone marrow transplants?
An embryo produced uses the same genes as the patient, without being rejected by the patient’s immune system.
How do plants clone/produce stem cells?
Roots and buds contain meristem tissue, and these stem cells can differentiate into any type of plant tissue.
We can clone plants, stopping them from going extinct, or we could produce cloned crop plants for farmers.
Problems with embryonic stem cells
They come from aborted embryos, or spare embryos from fertility treatment. It’s basically killing a human.
Slow, difficult, expensive procedure. It’s hard to make embryonic stem cells to differentiate into the type of cell needed.
They divide and grow rapidly-it could cause cancer if used to treat people.
Could transfer viruses, the patient may take drugs to prevent it.
Where else can embryonic stem cells be found?
In the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.
Amniotic fluid surrounding the foetus.
What is therapeutic cloning?
When an adult produces a cloned early embryo of themselves.
Why does the length of the cell cycle differ for various cells?
Cell cycles shorten as you grow older, because they may not be used for growth, only repair.
Tissue
A group of cells with similar structure and function.
Organ
A group of tissues working together for a specific function.
Give an example of an organ.
The stomach, containing muscle tissue and glandular tissue (which releases enzymes).
Organ system
A group of organs working together to form organisms.
The mouth
Contains salivary glands, teeth and the tongue. Teeth grind the food, and the salivary glands produce enzymes to break down the nutrients into smaller molecules.
Oesophagus
The tube the food passes down into the stomach.