cell differentiation and specialisation Flashcards
what is differentiation
the process by which a cell changes to become specialised for its job
what happens as cell changes
they develop different subcellular structures and turn into different types of cells
this allows them to carry out specific functions
where does most differentiation occur
occurs as an organism develops
the cells that differentiate in mature animals are mainly used for repairing and replacing cells, such as skin or blood cells
what are the undifferentiated cells called
stem cells
what are the examples you need to know of specialised cells
sperm cells, nerve cells, muscle cells, root hair cells and phloem and xylem cells
what are sperm cells specialised for
reproduction - the function of the sperm cell is basically to get the male DNA to the female DNA.
features of a sperm cell
it has a long tail and streamlined head to help it swim to the egg
there are a lot of mitochondria in the cell to provide the energy needed.
it also carries enzymes in its head to digest through the egg cell membrane
what are the nerve cell specialised for
rapid signalling - the function of nerve cells is to carry electrical signals from one part of the body to another.
features of a nerve cell
these cells are long (to cover more distance) and have branched connections at their ends to connect to other nerve cells and form a network throughout the body
what are muscle cells specialised for
contraction - the function of a muscle cell is to contract quickly
feature of a muscle cell
these cells are long (so that they have space to contract) nad contain lots of mitochondria to generate the energy needed for contraction
what are root hair cells specialised for
for absorbing water and minerals - root hair cells are cells on the surface of plant roots, which grow into long ‘hairs’ that stick out the soil
feature of root hair cell
the long hairs that stick out into the soil gives the plant a big surface area for absorbing water and mineral ions from the soil
what are phloem and xylem cells specialised for
transporting substances - phloem and xylem cells form phloem and xylem tubes, which transport substances such as food and water around plants
features of phloem and xylem cells
to form the tubes, the cells are long and joined end to end. xylem cells are hollow in the centre and phloem cells have very few subcellular structures, so that stuff can flow through them
