Specialised Animal Cells

Question 1

Differentiation in animal cells

Answer 1

• Most differentiation occurs as an organism develops.
• In most animal cells, the ability to differentiate is lost at an early stage after they become specialised.
• Cells that differentiate in mature animals are mainly used for repairing and replacing cells, such as skin or blood cells.

Question 2

What are undifferentiated cells called?

Answer 2

Stem cells

Question 3

Sperm Cells

Answer 3

• specialised for reproduction
• function is to get the male DNA to the female DNA
• it has a long tail and streamlined head to help it swim to the egg
• there are lots of mitochondria in the cell to provide the energy needed
• acrosome stores enzymes to digest through the egg cell membrane

Question 4

Nerve cells

Answer 4

• specialised for rapid signalling
• function is to carry electrical signals from one part of the body to another
• cells are long to cover more distance
• lots of dendrites to connect to other nerve cells and form a network through the body
• an axon to carry a nerve impulse

Question 5

Muscle cells

Answer 5

• specialised for quick contraction
• cells are long so they have space to contract
• lots of mitochondria to release energy needed for contraction