1: Cell Biology Flashcards

1
Q

Explain how a root hair cell is specialised for its function.

A

-Large surface area so it can absorb large amounts of water and mineral ions.

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1
Q

What is the name of the smallest biological component in the human body?

Hint: Its the name of a part of a cell.

A

An organelle

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2
Q

What is the largest biological component in the human body?

A

An organ system.

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3
Q

What are living organisms made up of?

A

Cells.

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4
Q

Are bacteria cells bigger or smaller than animal and plant cells?

A

Smaller.

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5
Q

State the components of an animal cell.

A

Cell membrane, ribosomes, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria.

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6
Q

State the components of a plant cell.

A

Cell membrane, ribosome, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, chloroplasts, vacuole and cell wall.

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7
Q

Are plant and animal cells prokaryotic or eukaryotic?

A

Eukaryotic, meaning they have a nucleus.

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8
Q

What do microscopes do?

A

Magnify the image of a biological specimen so that it appears larger.

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9
Q

What are the names of the two lenses that a microscope uses to magnify something?

A

The eyepiece and an objective lens.

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10
Q

What is the eyepiece in a microscope?

A

The lens at the top of a compound microscope.

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11
Q

In a microscope, what is the objective lens?

A

The lens closest to the specimen.

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12
Q

State the equation linking magnification, image size and actual size.

A

Image size = actual size x magnification.

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13
Q

How do you convert a millimetre to a metre?

A

Divide it by a thousand.

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14
Q

How do you convert a micrometre to a millimetre?

A

Divide it by a thousand.

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15
Q

How do you convert a nanometre to a micrometre?

A

Divide it by a thousand.

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16
Q

What does the coarse focus of a microscope do?

A

Raises the stage.

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17
Q

What should you place a specimen on before looking at it under a microscope?

A

A slide.

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18
Q

What is the name of the microscope with the highest magnification?

A

Electron microscope.

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19
Q

What are the cons of electron microscopes?

A

Very expensive and hard to use.

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20
Q

What can you use electron microscopes to study?

A

Sub-cellular structures.

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21
Q

What are the names of the things the stage in a microscope has to hold the slide in place?

A

Clips.

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22
Q

What is the name of the light below the stage in a microscope?

A

Lamp. Some microscopes have a mirror instead.

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23
Q

What is the name of the microscope part that we look through?

A

The eyepiece.

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24
Q

Describe how to use an optical microscope to view a prepared slide (long answer).

A

-Place the slide onto the stage, using the clips to hold it in place.
-Select the lowest power objective lens, and slowly turn the coarse focussing dial to position the objective lens so it almost touches the slide.
-Look through the eyepiece lens, and turn the coarse focussing dial the other way to increase the distance between the lens and slide again, to bring the object into focus
-Use the fine focusing dial to bring the cells into a clear focus.

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25
Q

How do you calculate total magnification?

A

Eyepiece lens x objective lens.

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26
Q

What is the function of the cytoplasm?

A

Contains dissolved nutrients and salts. Where many of the chemical reactions happen.

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27
Q

What is the function of the nucleus?

A

Contains genetic material, including DNA, which controls the cell’s activities.

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28
Q

What is the function of the cell membrane?

A

Its structure is permeable to some substances but not to others. It therefore controls the movement of substances in and out of the cell.

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29
Q

What is the function of the mitochondria?

A

Contain the enzymes for respiration, and where most energy is released in respiration.

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30
Q

What is the function of the ribosome?

A

Protein synthesis.

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31
Q

What is the function of the chloroplast?

A

Contains the green pigment, chlorophyll, which absorbs light energy for photosynthesis. Contains the enzymes needed for photosynthesis.

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32
Q

What is the function of the cell wall?

A

Strengthens the cell and supports the plant.

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33
Q

What is the function of the vacuole?

A

Filled with cell sap to help keep the cell turgid.

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34
Q

Are bacterial cells eukaryotic or prokaryotic?

A

Prokaryotic.

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35
Q

How do eukaryotic cells divide?

A

Mitosis.

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36
Q

How do prokaryotic cells divide?

A

Binary fission.

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37
Q

Where is the genetic material in a prokaryotic cell?

A

DNA is in a single molecule, found free in the cytoplasm. Also found on plasmids.

38
Q

Where is the genetic material in a eukaryotic cell?

A

DNA is in a nucleus.

39
Q

Describe the adaptations of a sperm (3 points)

A

-Head contains enzymes and genetic material for fertilisation
-Middle piece contains mitochondria to release energy needed to swim
-Tail enables sperm to swim.

40
Q

Describe the adaptations of a nerve cell. (2 points)

A

-Cell has extensions and branches so that it can communicate with other nerve cells, muscles and glands.
-Covered in fat, which insulates the cell.

41
Q

Describe the adaptations of muscle cells. (2 points)

A

-Contain filaments of protein that slide over eachother to cause muscle contraction.
-Contain many mitochondria to provide the energy for muscle contraction.

42
Q

Describe the adaptations of a root hair cell. (2 points)

A

-Large surface area to provide contact with soil water.
-Has thin walls to increase the rate of osmosis, and active transport.

43
Q

Describe the adaptation of a xylem cell (2 points)

A

-Walls are thickened with lignin
-No top and bottom walls between xylem vessels, so there is a continuous column of water running through them.

44
Q

Describe the adaptations of a phloem cell. (2 points)

A

-Companion cells are next to the tubes to provide energy required to transport substances in the phloem.
-Dissolved sugars and amino acids can be transported both up and down the stem.

45
Q

What do chromosomes do?

A

Carry genetic information in a molecule called DNA.

46
Q

How many chromosomes does each human body cell contain?

A

46, or 23 pairs.

47
Q

What are the two chromosomes that code for a female?

A

XX

48
Q

What are the two chromosomes that code for a male?

A

XY

49
Q

When do cells divide? (2 reasons)

A

-When an organism grows
-When an organism becomes damaged and needs to produce new cells.

50
Q

Explain the cell cycle (3 steps).

A

-Interphase: the cell gets ready to divide. The cell grows, DNA duplicates and more organelles are made
-Mitosis: the genetic material separates to different ends of the cell, and it gets ready to divide into two daughter cells
-Cytokinesis: at the end of mitosis, the cytoplasm and cell membrane split, and two new daughter cells are made.

51
Q

What is produced in mitosis?

A

Two daughter cells that are identical to the parent cell.

52
Q

Describe the process of mitosis.

A

-The cell begins to divide
-The DNA replicates to form two copies of each chromosome
-The nuclear membrane breaks down and the chromosomes line up across the centre of the cell
-One set of chromosomes is pulled to each end of the cell and the nucleus divides
-The cytoplasm and cell membranes divide to form two identical cells.

53
Q

What are stem cells?

A

Cells that have not undergone differentiation.

54
Q

Where are stem cells in relation to fertilisation?

A

The cells in the embryo.

55
Q

Where can adult stem cells be found?

A

Bone marrow.

56
Q

What is the difference between adult stem cells and standard stem cells?

A

Adult stem cells can only differentiate into related cell types (e.g bone marrow cells can differentiate into blood cells), but standard stem cells can differentiate into any cell type.

57
Q

Where does cell division in plants occur?

A

The meristem.

58
Q

What can meristem cells do?

A

Differentiate to produce all types of plant cells at any time during the life of the plant.

59
Q

What type of human cell can only be produced by stem cells?

A

Red blood cells, because they do not have a nucleus.

60
Q

What can undifferentiated stem cells from a patient be used for by a doctor?

A

Growing new tissue or repairing damaged organs

61
Q

What does therapeutic cloning involve?

A

Creating an embryo with the same genes as a patient.

62
Q

What are the benefits of using embryonic stem cells in therapeutic cloning?

A

The cells will not be rejected by the patient as they contain the same genetic material

63
Q

What are the concerns surrounding stem cells research? (5 points)

A

-Viruses can infect the stem cells
-Opposition of stem cell research on ethical or religious grounds
-No guarantee how successful therapeutic cloning will be
-There is current difficulty in finding suitable stem cell donors.
-Some mutated stem cells have been observed to behave like cancer cells

64
Q

What are the uses of cloning plants?

A

-Cloning rare species to protect them from extinction
-Cloning disease resistant plants to introduce the trait into the gene pool
-Cloning crop plants to make large quantities for farmers

65
Q

What do you need if you want to test antibiotics and disinfectants?

A

An uncontaminated culture of microorganisms.

66
Q

What are the two things you can grow bacteria in?

A

An agar gel plate, or in a nutrient broth solution

67
Q

Why do you need to make sure that your bacterial colonies that you are growing are not contaminated?

A

Because it can change your results or lead to the growth of dangerous pathogens.

68
Q

State the aseptic techniques used when culturing microorganisms. (4 points)

A

-Inoculating wire loops that are used to transfer the microorganisms have to be passed through a flame to sterilise them before use.
-Secure Petri dishes using tape after placement of microorganisms
-Store petri dishes upside-down
-Incubate cultures at 25 degrees Celsius.

69
Q

Why do we heat inoculating wire loops before using them when culturing microorganisms?

A

To sterilise them, and kill other microorganisms before use.

70
Q

Why do we secure Petri dishes using tape when culturing microorganisms?

A

To reduce the risk of contamination from particles in the air, and reduce the risk of the culture being disturbed by water condensation.

71
Q

Why do we store petri dishes upside down?

A

To reduce the risk of contamination from particles in the air, and reduce the risk of the culture being disturbed by water condensation.

72
Q

Why do we incubate cultures at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius?

A

It encourages growth of the culture without growing any pathogens that are harmful to humans.

73
Q

How do we measure the size of a colony in a petri dish?

A

Use a ruler to measure the circular diameter. Divide this by two, then square and times it by Pi.

74
Q

How do bacteria cells divide?

A

Binary fission

75
Q

How short can the mean division time be for bacteria?

A

As short as 20 minutes.

76
Q

How do you calculate the number of bacteria in a population?

A

Bacteria at the beginning of the growth period x 2^number of divisions

77
Q

What are the names of the 3 different types of movement?

A

Diffusion, osmosis, active transport.

78
Q

What is the definition of diffusion

A

The net movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration.

79
Q

Explain the process of therapeutic cloning. (4 points)

A

-A human egg cell from a donor is taken in, and the nucleus is removed and discarded.
-A cell from a patient is taken in, and the nucleus is removed from that cell and transferred to the donor egg cell.
-The cell is stimulated to divide, and develops into an embryo.
-After 4-5 days, the stem cells are removed and are cultured for therapeutic use.

80
Q

State 3 examples of diffusion in biological systems.

A

-In a leaf, Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide move in and out of cells by diffusion
-In the lungs, Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen diffuses in and out of the alveoli during gas exchange
-Urea from cells diffuses into blood plasma for excretion in the kidney.

81
Q

What three factors affect the rate of diffusion?

A

-The concentration gradient
-The temperature
-The surface area : volume ratio of the membrane.

82
Q

In diffusion, the higher the concentration gradient, the…

A

faster the rate of diffusion.

83
Q

In diffusion, the lower the temperature, the…

A

slower the rate of diffusion.

84
Q

In diffusion, the larger the surface area, the…

A

faster the rate of diffusion

85
Q

How is the small intestine adapted to absorb nutrients?

A

-Contains finger-like projections called villi that have thin walls and increase the surface area of the small intestine.

86
Q

How are the alveoli in the lungs specialised for gas exchange?

A

-Alveoli give the lungs a large surface area
-One cell thick
-Good blood supply to maintain concentration gradient

87
Q

How are plant roots adapted for material exchange?

A

They are long and thin

88
Q

How are leaves adapted for gas exchange?

A

-Large surface area, wide and flat with air spaces

89
Q

How are fish gills adapted for gas exchange?

A

-Large surface area
-Good blood supply

90
Q

What is osmosis?

A

The movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration.

91
Q

What is active transport?

A

The movement of molecules against a concentration gradient that requires energy.

92
Q

When is active transport used in plants?

A

For plants to take up mineral ions into root hair cells, active transport has to occur.

93
Q

When is active transport used in animals?

A

For glucose molecules to be moved into the bloodstream from the gut wall, active transport has to be done, using energy produced by respiration.