Cell differentiation and specialisation Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is differentiation ?
Differentiation is the process by which a cell changes to become specialised for its job
What happens as a cell changes ?
As cells change, they develop different subcellular structures and turn into different types of cells, allowing them to carry out specific functions
When does differentiation occur ?
As an organism develops
What happens to most animal cells at an early stage ?
The ability to differentiate is lost, after they have become specialised. The cells that differentiate in mature animals are mainly used for repairing and replacing cells, such as skin it blood cells
What ability to plant cells never lose ?
The ability to to keep differentiating
Why is a stem cell an example of ?
A undifferentiated cell
What are the examples of specialised cells ?
- Sperm cells
- Never cells
- Muscle cells
- Root hair cells
- Phloem and Xylem cells
In what ways is the sperm cell specialised for reproduction ?
- It has a long tail and a streamlined head to help it swim to the egg
- There are a lot of mitochondria in the cell to provide the energy needed
- It carries enzymes in its head to digest through the egg cell membrane
What is the sperm cells specialised for and what is its function ?
It is specialised for reproduction and
The function of a sperm cell is to get the male DNA to the female DNA
What is the nerve cell specialised for and what is its function ?
The nerve cell is specialised for rapid signalling
and
It function is to carry electrical signals from one part of the body to another
In what ways is the nerve cell specialised for rapid signalling ?
- The cells are long (to cover more distance) and have branched connections at their ends to connect to other never cells and form a network throughout the body
What are muscle cells specialised for and what is their function ?
Muscle cells are specialised fore contraction
and
Its function is to contract quickly
In what ways is the muscle cell specialised for contraction ?
These cells are long (so they have space to contract)
They contain lots of mitochondria to generate the energy needed for contraction
What are root hair cells specialised for ?
Root hair cells are specialised for absorbing water and minerals
In what ways are the root hair cells specialised for absorbing water and minerals ?
Their long hairs that stick out into the soul gives them a big surface area from absorbing wafer and mineral ions from the soil
What are Phloem and Xylem cells specialised for and what is their function ?
They are specialised for transporting substances
and their function is to form the phloem and xylem tubes which transport substances such as food and water around plants
In what ways are the phloem and xylem cells specialised for transporting substances ?
- The cells are long and joined end to end to form the tubes
- Xylem cells are hollow in the center and phloem tubes have very few subcellular structures so that stuff can flow through them
