Cell Biology and Biochemistry
I take this oppotunity to briefly line out what I shall cover in this writing. To begin, decribe the structure of eukaryotic cells, using my electron micrograph I shall identify the organelles present, and continue to describe them and relate to the level of organisation within multicelluar organisms. Following this I shall give an example of a specialised cell, and discuss how its structure allows it to carry out its function. Finally, I shall examine how substances move through the cell membrane, and discuss water potential.
Electron Micrograph
Now, to begin I refer to the first of my attatched sheets, the electron micrograph. On this, I have labeled the appropriate organelles of this cell, Nucleus, Cell Membrane, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Ribosomes, Mitochondria, Golgi Apparatus and Lysosomes. I would like to note at this point, that Chloroplasts are not present, as they are only found within plant cells, where they are used in photosynthesis, and could perhaps be comparable to the Mitochondria of the animal cell involved in protein synthesis. The electron micrograph attached shows us the cell scaled to 8000x its normal size, so to estimate the actual size, we are going to use the following equation.
Measurement/Magnification = Actual Size
I shall now list the measurements, and my working in the following diagram intended to simplify matters.
Organelle
Measurement (mm)
Working
Actual Size
(um)
Nucleus
75
7.5/8000
9.375
Ribosome
3
3/8000
0.375
Mitochondria
5
5/8000
0.625
Lysosome
4
4/8000
0.500
Endoplasmic Reticulum
1
1/8000
0.125
I measured the following Organelles by their width, not length, and results may differ slightly between like organelles. This evidence gives us a sense of depth when we talk about the complexity of our bodies organisation. The simple cell is the foundation of all life within multicelluar organisms, as it is the smallest unit of life that can live independently....