1.3 Eukaryotic and prokaryotic

Question 1

Describe the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic

Answer 1

P - E

No nucleus - nucleus

Bacteria and archaea - animals and plants

Unicellular and smaller - multicellular

No membrane bound organelles - have membrane bound organelles

Reproduction asexual - sexual

DNA is circular. Can have one or more small rings, called plasmids - DNA is linear

cell wall - cell wall for plants only

Question 2

How big is a eukaryotic cell?

Answer 2

10-100 micrometers

Question 3

How big is a prokaryotic cell?

Answer 3

1 micrometer

Question 4

How big is a virus?

Answer 4

100 nm

Question 5

How big is DNA?

Answer 5

10 nm

Question 6

How big is an atom?

Answer 6

1 nm

Question 7

Put the following things in size order, staring with the largest: eukaryotic cell, virus, atom, DNA, prokaryotic cell

Answer 7

1. Eukaryotic cell
2. Prokaryotic cell
3. Virus
4. DNA
5. Atom

Question 8

Describe the difference between the genetic material in a prokaryotic cell and the genetic material in a eukaryotic cell

Answer 8

Genetic material in a prokaryotic cell isn’t contained in a nucleus, and may include extra rings of DNA (plasmids) separate from main genetic material

Question 9

Describe what the flagella are

Answer 9

Long protein strand that lashes out

Question 10

State one use of a flagella in a prokaryote

Answer 10

Movement

Question 11

A cell nucleus has an average length of 6 micrometers, calculate the order of magnitude comparison between the nucleus and a small plant cell

Answer 11

small animal cell length around 10 μm
10/6 = 1.7
Length of small animal cell is same order of magnitude as cell nucleus.

Question 12

Describe the similarities and differences between the features found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic plant and animal cells.

Answer 12

• All cells have cell membranes and cytoplasm
• and both prokaryotes and eukaryotes can have cell wall.
• Prokaryotes have no nucleus and no chloroplasts
• whilst eukaryotes have no plasmids

Question 13

Some people think that structures found in plant and animal cells such as chloroplasts and mitochondria may have originally been free-living bacteria. Evaluate this possibility using the sizes of eukaryotic cells, prokaryotic cells, and eukaryotic organelles to support the argument.

Answer 13

• bacteria are 1–2 orders of magnitude smaller than eukaryotic cells
• contain free genetic material
• can reproduce
• mitochondria and chloroplasts are similar in size to bacteria
• contain genetic material so they can reproduce independently of the cell dividing