General Biology 1
Cell Types and Cell
Modifications
Below are pictures that can lead you to enumerate the five levels of
biological organization. You need to interpret each picture so you can know
the Hierarchy of Biological Organization.
Cell Types and Cell Modifications
Living things may be either unicellular
(consisting of one cell) or multicellular
(many–celled). Most of the organisms
you are familiar with – including
yourself – are multicellular. Your body is
also made up of many organs. Your
skin, eyes, heart, liver, kidneys, and
intestines are some of the organs that
compose your body. Organs are
essential for adaptation and survival.
But what are organs without tissues?
• Touch your cheeks. You feel some flesh. As
you run your fingers gently over them, you feel
tiny, hair – like projections. Press your cheeks with
your fingers. Something is hard underneath; this is
a bone structure. Slap one of your cheeks lightly
and take note of any change on your face. You will
feel a warm sensation because of the red flush on
your face. When you slapped your cheek, blood
rushed to it and the pressure applied caused your
blood vessels to emit the red coloring on your
face.
• What is your cheek made up of? It is made up
of cells just as the skin that covers the earthworm
or the frog or the horse. These cells are grouped
based on their types and functions to form tissues.
The cells of the tissue are specialized, and their
structure enables them to perform a specific task –
Let us first test your knowledge in constructing
ideas and elaborating concepts so you can better
understand the distinctions of some topics.
Below is a simple activity that can lead you to
elaborate and rationalize the distinctions of some
concepts.
1. Tissues are adapted by the structure of their cells to
carry on a particular function.
2. Single – celled organisms are different from single
cells that are part of an organism.
3. Muscular tissues have cells with the most
mitochondria while the blood has white blood cells with
the most number of lysosomes.
Let us first have an activation of your prior knowledge about the most
common forms of structures and tissues so you can better understand how
the tissues and organs can function as a unit in our body.
Our body is composed of four basic types of tissues: Epithelium,
connective, muscular, and nervous tissues.
• Epithelium occurs as sheets of tightly packed cells that cover body
surfaces and the lining of internal organs and cavities.
• Connective tissue helps protect, support, and bind organs and other
tissues.
• Muscular tissue helps cause movement and change in the shape of some
body parts.
• Nervous tissue senses stimuli and transmits signals called nerve
impulses.
•To understand the functions and
locations of each animal tissue, answer
the questions given below.
•1. Which type of tissue would make up
the majority of the brain and spinal cord?
•2. Which type of tissue would be found
in the epidermis?
•3. Which type of tissue would form
ligaments, tendons, fat, and bone?
•4. Which type of tissue makes up the
majority of the heart?
•5. Which type of tissue would be found
in the blood vessels and respiratory
tract?
WHAT ARE EPITHELIAL TISSUES? WHAT DO THE
VARYING SHAPES AND ARRANGEMENT OF
EPITHELIAL TISSUE SUGGEST?
Epithelial tissues, called the
epithelium, occur as sheets of
tightly packed cells covering body
surfaces and lining internal
organs and cavities. The apical
(basal) surface of an epithelium is
attached to the basal lamina.
Epithelial tissues are named
according to the number of cell
layers and the shape of the cells
on their apical (basal) surface.
WHAT ARE EPITHELIAL TISSUES? WHAT DO
THE VARYING SHAPES AND ARRANGEMENT OF
EPITHELIAL TISSUE SUGGEST?
•A simple epithelium has a single
layer of cells, whereas a stratified
epithelium has multiple layers. The
pseudostratified epithelium is single
– layered but appears stratified because
the cells vary in length. Epithelial
tissues are also named based on their
cell shapes. Squamous epithelial
tissues have flat cells like floor tiles.
Cuboidal epithelial tissues have
cube cells like dice. Columnar
epithelial tissues have brick – like
cells on end. A table below is given to
provide a framework for more
information and reinforce the theme
that the structure of each epithelial
tissue is well suited to its function.
Types of Epithelial Tissue
Epithelial tissues Structure through
which the tissue is
found
Squamous Epithelial Tissue
Simple Squamous Air sacs of the lung;
Epithelial Tissue blood vessels; heart
Stratified Squamous Skin; vagina;
Epithelial Tissue esophagus; mouth
Cuboidal Epithelial Kidney tubules;
Tissue glands; surface of
ovary
Columnar Epithelial Tissue
Simple Columnar (This type of epithelial
Epithelial Tissue tissue is usually lined with
microvilli, a type of cell
modification that helps in
increasing the surface
area for absorption.)
Digestive tract; gall
bladder; excretory ducts
of some glands
Pseudostratified (This type of tissue is
Columnar Epithelial usually lined with cilia, a
Tissue type of cell modification
The epithelial tissue made up of a
single layer of epithelial cells of
that sweeps the mucus.)
different heights is known as the Bronchi; trachea;
pseudostratified columnar
epithelium. The position of the
uterine tubes; some
nucleus is also different in every portions of the uterus
cell that gives the appearance of
having multiple layers of the
epithelial cells instead of a single
WHAT ARE CONNECTIVE TISSUES? WHAT
FUNCTION IS COMMON TO ALL TYPES OF
CONNECTIVE TISSUES?
VOLUNTARY VS INVOLUNTARY MUSCLES
Below is a picture that shows the organs of a human torso.
Identify the tissue that is found in each labeled part of the torso
• Now it’s your turn! To test your knowledge about the concepts you have
learned in this lesson, do the task given below.
• Your job is to write out a story about the Tissue Family Reunion which includes
the following members: epithelial, connective, nervous, and muscular. All of
the tissues have “grown-up” and moved away from home. Each now lives in a
new place and has their own job and they have come home for the annual family
reunion. Your job is to write a story that details their conversation as they all get
together and discuss where they “live” and what they now “do.” It is your
decision as to the format that you would like to use. For example, you could
write a story in paragraphs or script formats that identify the job and location of
each tissue. To help this process, you will want to give each one of your tissues
a name. Your story will be assessed based on the following criteria: creativity,
organization and content accuracy, word choice, and spelling and grammar.
Oysters and shells can be more than just an
appetizing seafood fare on our dinner table.
They serve as perfect models in making an
artificial bone.
In their quest to develop a light but strong
artificial bone, scientists from the United
States Department of Energy’s Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley
Lab) took inspiration from nacre, the
substance that makes up the shells of oysters
and abalone.
• Nacre’s strength and lightness are very difficult to duplicate
in ceramic materials because nacre’s architecture varies at
several length scales from micrometers to nanometers. To
mimic this, scientists created a layered material from a
watery suspension of hydroxyapatite, the mineral component
of bone, and froze it. Like the impurities in sea ice, the
hydroxyapatite settled in the spaces between the ice crystals,
creating multiple layers of nacre – like material. (Hap - a
mineral composed mainly of phosphorus and calcium, naturally
occurring in human bones and teeth.)
• The resulting porous material is said to be four times
stronger and more fracture resistant than the one currently
used in artificial bones. It can also adapt to changing
physiological conditions and mesh with surrounding tissue
over time, reducing the risk of inflammation and rejection by
the immune system.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY
• In your point of view as a senior high
school STEM student, do you think making
artificial bones is helpful to society? Why?
What are the possible benefits of adapting
this biomimicry in the field of medicine?
RUBRIC FOR STORY
Criteria Exceeds (12)
WRITING
Good (9) Fair (6) Poor (3)
Creativity The story had many The story had 3 or more The story had 1 – 2 The story was not creative and
(_____/12) creative details that made examples of creative ideas. creative details. did
the not show imagination.
reader want to learn more.
Organization and All ideas are easily Most of the Most of the The ideas are not detailed and
Content Accuracy (_____/12) distinguishable and ideas are distinguishable ideas are not indistinguishable.
accurately detailed. and accurately detailed. distinguishable and m ore
details are needed in order
for them to identify.
Word Choice (_____/12) The story used many The story used many The story had few The story did not have
adjectives to show ideas. adjectives to show ideas. adjectives and descriptive adjectives or descriptive words.
The story used excellent The story used words that words. The
words to paint a clear took away from the story used the same words
picture. meaning. over and over.
Spelling and Grammar The writer makes no The writer makes less The writer makes less The writer makes many spelling
(_____/12) spelling or capitalization than 5 spelling and than 10 and capitalization
errors. The writer always capitalization errors. The spelling and capitalization errors. The story is hard to read.
used the parts writer used the parts of errors. The writer
of speech correctly. speech correctly. sometimes
used the parts
of speech correctly.
Total: _____ + 2 = _____/50
