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Chapter 8: Cell — Structure and Functions

This chapter introduces the fundamental unit of life, the cell, exploring its discovery, structure,
functions, and the variety it exhibits across different organisms.

Introduction

●​ All things around us are either living or non-living.

●​ Living organisms perform certain basic functions.
●​ Different sets of organs perform various functions, and the basic structural unit of an
organ is the cell.
●​ Cells are compared to bricks, which are assembled to make a building, similarly, cells
are assembled to make the body of every organism.

8.1 Discovery of the Cell

●​ Robert Hooke observed slices of cork under a simple magnifying device in 1665.
●​ Cork is a part of the bark of a tree.
●​ He noticed partitioned boxes or compartments in the cork slice that looked like a
honeycomb, separated by a wall or partition.
●​ Hooke coined the term "cell" for each box.
●​ What Hooke observed were actually dead cells.
●​ Cells of living organisms could only be observed after the discovery of improved
microscopes.
●​ Today, much is known about cell structure and functions due to improved microscopes
with high magnification.

8.2 The Cell

●​ Both bricks in a building and cells in living organisms are basic structural units.
●​ Organisms, though differing from one another, are all made up of cells.
●​ Cells in living organisms are complex living structures, unlike non-living bricks.
●​ A hen's egg represents a single cell and is large enough to be seen by the unaided eye.
8.3 Organisms Show Variety in Cell Number, Shape, and Size

●​ Scientists use microscopes to magnify objects and stains (dyes) to color parts of the
cell to study detailed structures.
●​ Living organisms show immense variety in their shapes, sizes, and number of cells.

Number of Cells

●​ The number of cells in a tall tree or a huge animal like an elephant can run into billions
and trillions.
●​ The human body has trillions of cells that vary in shapes and sizes, performing a variety
of functions.
●​ Multicellular organisms are made of more than one cell (e.g., humans).
●​ The number of cells in smaller organisms does not affect their functioning.
●​ An organism with billions of cells begins life as a single cell, the fertilised egg, which
multiplies as development proceeds.
●​ Unicellular organisms are single-celled (e.g., Amoeba, Paramecium).
●​ A single-celled organism performs all the necessary functions that multicellular
organisms do, such as capturing and digesting food, respiring, excreting, growing, and
reproducing.
●​ In multicellular organisms, specialized cells form tissues, and tissues form organs, to
carry out similar functions.

Shape of Cells

●​ Amoeba has an irregular shape and continuously changes it. Its projections are called
pseudopodia (false feet), which facilitate movement and food capture.
●​ A white blood cell (WBC) in human blood is another example of a single cell that can
change its shape. Unlike Amoeba, a WBC is a cell, while Amoeba is a full-fledged
organism capable of independent existence.
●​ Cells can be round, spherical, elongated, or spindle-shaped (e.g., muscle cells).
●​ Some cells are long and branched, like the nerve cell (neuron), which receives and
transfers messages, helping control and coordinate body parts.
●​ The cell membrane, and cell wall in plants, provides shape to the cell.

Size of Cells

●​ Cell sizes vary greatly, from a millionth of a meter (micrometer or micron) to several
centimeters.
●​ Most cells are microscopic and require a microscope to be seen.
●​ The smallest cell is 0.1 to 0.5 micrometers in bacteria.
●​ The largest cell measures 170 mm x 130 mm, which is the egg of an ostrich.
●​ The size of cells does not correlate with the size of the organism's body (e.g., elephant
cells are not necessarily bigger than rat cells). Instead, cell size is related to its function
 (e.g., nerve cells in both elephants and rats are long and branched for transferring
messages).

8.4 Cell Structure and Function

●​ Each living organism has many organs, which perform different functions (e.g., digestive
organs, plant roots for absorption, leaves for food synthesis).
●​ Each organ is composed of smaller parts called tissues.
●​ A tissue is a group of similar cells performing a specific function.
●​ The cell is the basic structural unit in a living organism.

8.5 Parts of the Cell

The basic components of a cell are the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus.

●​ Cell Membrane (Plasma Membrane)​

○​ Encloses the cytoplasm and nucleus.

○​ Separates cells from one another and from the surrounding medium.
○​ Is porous, allowing movement of substances in and out of the cell.
○​ Gives shape to the cells of plants and animals.
●​ Cell Wall​

○​ An additional outer thick layer present only in plant cells and bacterial cells,
surrounding the cell membrane.
○​ Provides shape and rigidity to plant cells.
○​ Offers protection against variations in temperature, high wind speed, and
atmospheric moisture, as plants cannot move.
●​ Cytoplasm​

○​ The jelly-like substance located between the cell membrane and the nucleus.
○​ Contains various other components or organelles of cells, such as mitochondria,
Golgi bodies, and ribosomes.
●​ Nucleus​

○​ An important component of the living cell, generally spherical and located in the
center.
○​ Can be stained and easily seen with a microscope.
○​ Separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear membrane, which is also porous
and allows movement of materials.
○​ Contains a smaller spherical body called the nucleolus.
 ○​ Contains thread-like structures called chromosomes.
■​ Chromosomes carry genes and facilitate the inheritance/transfer of
characteristics from parents to offspring.
■​ Chromosomes are visible only when the cell divides.
○​ Acts as the control center for cell activities, in addition to its role in inheritance.
○​ Gene: A unit of inheritance controlling the transfer of hereditary characteristics.
●​ Protoplasm​

○​ The entire content of a living cell, including the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
○​ Known as the "living substance" of the cell.
●​ Prokaryotic Cells​

○​ Cells where the nucleus is not well-organised, meaning there is no nuclear

membrane.
○​ Organisms with these cells are called prokaryotes (pro: primitive; karyon:
nucleus).
○​ Examples include bacteria and blue-green algae.
●​ Eukaryotic Cells​

○​ Cells with a well-organised nucleus surrounded by a nuclear membrane.

○​ Organisms with these cells are called eukaryotes (eu: true; karyon: nucleus).
○​ Examples include onion cells, cheek cells, and all organisms other than bacteria
and blue-green algae.
●​ Vacuoles​

○​ Blank-looking structures in the cytoplasm.

○​ Often single and large in plant cells (e.g., onion cell).
○​ Much smaller in animal cells (e.g., cheek cells).
●​ Plastids​

○​ Small colored bodies found in the cytoplasm of plant cells (e.g., Tradescantia leaf
cells).
○​ Are of different colors.
○​ Green colored plastids containing chlorophyll are called chloroplasts.
■​ Chlorophyll in chloroplasts is essential for photosynthesis and gives
leaves their green color.

8.6 Comparison of Plant and Animal Cells

Sl. No. Part Plant Cell Animal Cell Sourc
e

1. Cell membrane Present Present

2. Cell wall Present Absent

3. Nucleus Present Present

4. Nuclear Present Present

membrane

5. Cytoplasm Present Present

6. Plastids Present Absent

7. Vacuole Large Small

What You Have Learnt (Summary)

●​ All organisms are made of smaller parts called organs, which are made of even smaller
parts, the smallest living part being a 'cell'.
●​ Cells were first observed by Robert Hooke in cork in 1665.
●​ Cells exhibit a variety of shapes and sizes, and their number varies among organisms.
●​ Some cells are visible without aid (e.g., hen's egg), while others are microscopic.
●​ Unicellular organisms perform all basic functions found in multicellular organisms.
●​ A cell has three main parts: cell membrane, cytoplasm (containing organelles), and
nucleus.
●​ The nucleus is separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear membrane.
●​ Cells without a well-organised nucleus (lacking a nuclear membrane) are prokaryotic
cells.
●​ Plant cells have an additional cell wall layer around the cell membrane, which animal
cells lack.
●​ Colored bodies called plastids, including green chloroplasts (containing chlorophyll), are
found only in plant cells.
●​ Plant cells typically have a large central vacuole, unlike the smaller, multiple vacuoles in
animal cells.