Biology 1.1 - Cell Biology

Question 1

What are the 3 requirements for living cells? (U1)

Answer 1

All organisms are made of cells, cells are the smallest unit of life and all cells come from preexisting cells

Question 2

Are there units smaller than cells? (U1)

Answer 2

Yes, organelles (eg mitochondria, chloroplast, etc)

Question 3

What are the 7 functions all cells carry out? (U2)

Answer 3

Metabolism, growth, reproduction, nutrition, homeostasis, response, and excretion (MR H GREN)

Question 4

In what order are the following things relative to cells? (molecules, viruses, membranes, organelles, bacteria) (U2)

Answer 4

Organelles, bacteria, viruses, membrane, molecules.

Question 5

What is better for a cell, a smaller SA:VOL ratio or a bigger one? (U3)

Answer 5

A larger one, this is because the larger the ratio, the more SA there is to serve the volume.

Question 6

What organelles do cells use to optimize their environments with regards to the SA:VOL ratio? (U3)

Answer 6

e.g. intestinal villi + SA of lungs

Question 7

What is an example of an organism that has overcome the SA:VOL ratio? (U3)

Answer 7

e.g. Shrew - high SA:VOL ratio. This is a problem because they are warm blooded and constantly losing heat. Make up by eating a lot.

Question 8

What is the emergent properties of multicellular organisms? (U4)

Answer 8

It’s the interaction between all the component parts of an organism (the whole is greater than the sum of the parts). This is why multicellular organisms are capable of having body systems while unicellular organisms cannot.

Question 9

What allows for specialized tissues to develop? (U5)

Answer 9

Cell differentiation in multicellular organisms.

Question 10

What is differentiation? (U5)

Answer 10

Becoming a specific cell type that carries out a specific function (e.g. red blood cell carrying oxygen).

Question 11

What is a genome? (U6)

Answer 11

All of the genes in your cells.

Question 12

What is a diploid? (U6)

Answer 12

Two sets of chromosomes.

Question 13

Are all the cells in your body diploid? (U6)

Answer 13

Almost. All cells except your reproductive cells and adult red blood cells are diploid.

Question 14

Do all cells in your body have the same amount of genes? (U6)

Answer 14

Yes, but they are not all activated (e.g. a toe cell will never have to make lactase to digest milk like a stomach wall cell).

Question 15

What is a totipotent stem cell? (U7)

Answer 15

Can differentiate into any type of cell.

Question 16

What is a pluripotent stem cell? (U7)

Answer 16

Can differentiate into many types of cells.

Question 17

What is a multipotent stem cell? (U7)

Answer 17

Can differentiate into few, closely related types of cells.

Question 18

What is a unipotent cell? (U7)

Answer 18

Can regenerate, but can only differentiate into their associated cell type.

Question 19

In a totipotent embryonic stem cell, is the entire genome activated or deactivated? (U6)

Answer 19

The entire genome is activated. Newly specialized cells receive signals which deactivate certain genes (e.g. a skin cell does not need to produce hemoglobin).

Question 20

What is a stem cell? (U7)

Answer 20

An unspecialized cell that can do the 2 following things:
Continuously divide and replicate
Have the ability to differentiate into specialized cell types