8 Science - Cells

STUDENT BOOKLET

TEACHER:
NAME: CLASS: 8
MR
ETHAN BLUE
GRAHAM

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Cells – building blocks of life.
Cells are the basic building blocks of life; there are two (2) basic types of cells;
Animal & Plant. Animal cells usually have an irregular shape, and plant cells
usually have a regular shape.
Cells are made up of different parts, many small structures with different shapes and
sizes. These different parts of the cells are just like the different organs inside the
human body. These sections are important as they play different roles in keeping
the cell alive. So these structures inside the cells are referred to as ‘organelles’
meaning –little organs.
The diagram bellow shows general differences between plant and animal cells.

Like the ones below:

Animal cells and plant cells both contain:

Cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus
Plant cells also contain these parts, not found in animal cells:
Chloroplasts, vacuole, cell wall

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The table summarises the functions of these parts.
Part Function Found in

Cell Controls what substances can get into and out of the cell. Plant and
membrane animal cells

Cytoplasm Jelly-like substance, where chemical reactions happen. In plant Plant and
cells there's a thin lining, whereas in animal cells most of the cell animal cells
is cytoplasm.

Nucleus Controls what happens inside the cell. Carries genetic Plant and
information. animal cells
Chloroplast Where photosynthesis happens – chloroplasts contain a green Plant cells only
substance called chlorophyll.
Vacuole Contains a liquid called cell sap, which keeps the cell firm. Plant cells only
Cell wall Made of a tough substance called cellulose, which supports the Plant cells only
cell.

dCells and their functions

Humans are multi-cellular animals. That means we are made of lots of cells, not just
one cell. The cells in many multi-cellular animals and plants are specialised, so that
they can share out the processes of life. They work together like a team to support
the different processes in an organism.

Specialised cells

You should be able to work out special features of a cell from a drawing, if you’re
told what the cell can do. The tables below show examples of some specialised
animal and plant cells, with their functions and special features.

Type of animal cell Function Special features

Red blood cells To carry oxygen Large surface area, for oxygen
to pass through

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Type of animal cell Function Special features

Contains haemoglobin, which

joins with oxygen

Nerve cells To carry nerve impulses to different Long

parts of the body Connections at each end
Can carry electrical signals

Female reproductive To join with male cell, and then to Large

cell (egg cell) provide food for the new cell that's Contains lots of cytoplasm
been formed

Male reproductive cell To reach female cell, and join with it Long tail for swimming
(sperm cell) Head for getting into the
female cell

Type of plant cell Function Special features

Root hair cell To absorb water and minerals Large surface area

Leaf cell To absorb sunlight for photosynthesis Large surface area

Lots of chloroplasts

Animal cells and plant cells also contain tiny objects called mitochondria in their cytoplasm

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Life processes

Living organisms can reproduce

Living organisms have certain life processes in common.

There are seven things that they need to do to count as being alive.

 Movement - all living things move, even plants

 Respiration - getting energy from food
 Sensitivity - detecting changes in the surroundings
 Growth - all living things grow
 Reproduction - making more living things of the same type
 Excretion - getting rid of waste
 Nutrition - taking in and using food

It can be easy to tell if something is living or not. A teddy bear might look like a bear, but it cannot do
any of the seven things it needs to be able to do to count as being alive.

A car can move, it gets energy from petrol (like nutrition and respiration), it might have a car alarm
(sensitivity), and it gets rid of waste gases through its exhaust pipe (excretion). But it cannot grow or
make baby cars. So a car is not alive.

Plant cells seen through a light microscope

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Cheek cells stained with methylene blue
Specialised cells

The diagrams show examples of some specialised animal cells. Notice that they look very different
from one another.

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Unicellular organisms
A unicellular organism is a living thing that is just one cell. There are different types of unicellular
organism, including:

 bacteria
 protozoa
 unicellular fungi

You might be tempted to think that these organisms are very simple, but in fact they can be very
complex. They have adaptations that make them very well suited for life in their environment.

Bacteria

Bacteria are tiny. A typical bacterial cell is just a few micrometres across (a few thousandths of a
millimetre). The structure of a bacterial cell is different to an animal or plant cell. For example, they do
not have a nucleus but they may have a flagellum. This is a tail-like part of the cell that can spin,
moving the cell along.

Th
e main parts of bacteria
Protozoa

Protozoa are unicellular organisms that live in water or in damp places. The amoeba is an example of
one. Although it is just one cell, it has adaptations that let it behave a bit like an animal:

 it produces pseudopodia (“false feet”) that let it move about

 its pseudopodia can surround food and take it inside the cell
 contractile vacuoles appear inside the cell, then merge with the surface to remove waste

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A light microscope image of an amoeba, showing several pseudopodia
Yeast

You may be familiar with fungi from seeing mushrooms and toadstools. Yeast are unicellular fungi.
They are used by brewers and wine-makers because they convert sugar into alcohol, and by bakers
because they can produce carbon dioxide to make bread to rise.

Yeast have a cell wall, like plant cells, but no chloroplasts. This means they have to absorb sugars for
their nutrition, rather than being able to make their own food by photosynthesis

Yeast can reproduce by producing a bud. The bud grows until it is large enough to split from the parent
cell as a new yeast cell.

Several yeast cells showing buds

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Cells, tissues, organs and systems
Multicellular organisms are organised into increasingly complex parts. In order, from least complex to
most complex:

 cells
 tissues
 organs
 organ systems
 organism

Tissues

Animal cells and plant cells can form tissues, such as muscle tissue in animals. A living tissue is made
from a group of cells with a similar structure and function, which all work together to do a particular
job. Here are some examples of tissues:

 muscle
 the lining of the intestine
 the lining of the lungs
 xylem (tubes that carry water in a plant)

Organs

An organ is made from a group of different tissues, which all work together to do a particular job. Here
are some examples of organs:

 heart
 lung
 stomach
 brain
 leaf
 root

Organ systems

An organ system is made from a group of different organs, which all work together to do a particular
job. Here are some examples of organ systems:

 circulatory system
 respiratory system
 digestive system
 nervous system
 reproductive system

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Glossary

Adaptation

It is the process of adapting or being adapted

Bacteria
Part of a group group of unicellular microorganisms

Bacterial cell
Bacteria cell grow on bacteria, worms, insects, plants, animals, and people.

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Cell
It is the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism

Cell membrane
It surrounds the cell cytoplasm of a cell.

Cell wall

A cell wall holds the structure of a cell

Chloroplast

It is the food producer of a plant cell.

Cytoplasm

Cytoplasm is the type of fluid that fills the cell.

Light microscope

Magnify images of small subjects by using visible light and a system of lenses.

Mitochondria

(A single Mitochondria is called a mitochondrion)

Are power generators of a cell

Multicellular (give examples)

Multicellular are Amoeba and Paramecium, both unicellular. Algae, or plant-like

protists, have characteristics of plant cells.

Nucleus (A plural of Nucleus is nuclei)

Nucleus is a type of organelle that is single rounded structure bounded by a double membrane.

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Organs (Provide 3 examples of organs)

Examples of organs are Integumentary, skeletal and muscular.

Organ system

Is a group of organs that work together to do multiple functions

Specialised

It is having a particular subject or skill.

Tissue

Types of material that living things are made out of.

Unicellular

(Provide an example)
Unicellular are protozoans, certain algae and spores.

Vacuole

Vacuole is a type of space or vesicle that lives in a cytoplasm of a cell.

Yeast

Yeast is a microscopic fungus consisting of single oval cells that reproduce by

budding, and capable of converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Can you list some examples of animal tissues?

Epithelial tissue (Animal cells)

Connective tissue (Animal cells)

Muscular tissue (Animal cells)

Can you list some examples of plant tissues?

Vascular tissue (Plant system)

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Epidermal tissue (Plant System)

Can you list some examples of animal organs?

Skeletal (Animal cells)

Muscular (Animal cells)

Nervous (Animal cells)

Can you list some examples of plant organs?

Reef (Plant system)

Stem (Plant System)

Can you list some examples of animal organ systems?

Skeletal (Animal cells)

Muscular (Animal cells)

Nervous (Animal cells)

Can you list some examples of plant organ systems?

Shoot (Plant system)
Root(Plant System)

All living things on earth are made up of cells.

The two main types of cells are plant cells and animal cells.

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Most cells are so small that they can only be seen with a microscope.

Give 3 differences between a plant and an animal cell.

Plant cells have an organelle called chloroplast that gives the colour of plant cell,
they also have a vacuole and a cell war.

Name 5 different types of cells in the human body.

Stem cells.

Red blood cells (erythrocytes)

White blood cells (leukocytes)

Platelets.

Nerve cells

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