Key terms Flashcards
Cell
The basic unit of living material
Tissue
A group of cells - joined together to carry out a particular task
Organ
A collection of tissues joined together to carry out a specific function
Electron microscope
A microscope used to see inside cells
Photomicrograph
A photograph of a microscopic object, taken with the aid of a microscope
Organelle
A tiny body inside a cell which carries out its own function
Protoplasm
Meaning ‘first material’ - the colourless material comprising the living part of a cell, including the cytoplasm, nucleus, and all other organelles
Cytoplasm
‘cell material’ - refers to anything (the protoplasm of the cell)inside the plasma membrane and outside of the nucleus/excluding circular DNA in Prokaryotic cells
Nucleus
The central part of the cell, it is enclosed in a membrane and is usually darker than the rest of the cell as contains the genetic material
Metabolism
The sum of all the chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of an organism and all its cells
Chromatin network
The dark tangles mass seen in the nucleus of a resting cell
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Nucleic acid found in both the cell and the nucleus, responsible for the manufacture of cell proteins (e.g. pigments, enzymes and hormones)
Chromosomes
Long threads of DNA and protein seen in a dividing cell, which contains the genetic material, or genes, responsible for transmitting inherited characteristics
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Nucleic acid found only in the chromatin network and the chromosomes of the nucleus, which is responsible for the control the cell, and passing on inherited characteristics
Centrioles
Organelles that play an important part in spindle formation during cell division
Mitochondria
Spherical or rod-shaped bodies scattered in the cytoplasm, concerned with energy release