CELL BASICS
What are the three main principles of Cell Theory?
All living things are made of cells; the cell is the basic unit of life; all cells come from pre-existing cells.
What does magnification tell you?
How much larger an image appears compared with the actual object.
What two groups of organisms have prokaryotic cells?
Bacteria and Archaea.
Which organelle is known as the site of most ATP production?
Mitochondria.
Name ONE structure found in plant cells but not animal cells.
Cell wall, chloroplast, or large central vacuole.
Why are cells generally small?
Small cells have a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio, allowing materials to move in and out more efficiently.
What does resolution describe?
The ability to distinguish two objects as separate.
What structure is present in eukaryotic cells but absent in prokaryotic cells?
A nucleus.
Which organelle modifies, sorts, and packages proteins?
Golgi apparatus.
What is the main function of chloroplasts?
Photosynthesis.
As a cell gets larger, what happens to its surface-area-to-volume ratio?
It decreases.
What does contrast help you do?
Distinguish the specimen from its background and see it more clearly.
Where is the DNA located in a bacterial cell?
In the nucleoid region.
What is the difference between rough ER and smooth ER?
Rough ER has ribosomes and is involved in protein production; smooth ER lacks ribosomes and is involved in lipid production and other functions.
What are the three major components of the cytoskeleton?
Microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules.
Which part of the cell controls what substances enter and leave?
The plasma membrane.
Which electron microscope is used to study the surface of a specimen and produces a 3D-like image?
SEM — Scanning Electron Microscope.
What structure is responsible for making proteins in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
Ribosomes.
Which organelle contains digestive enzymes that break down cellular waste and damaged components?
Lysosome.
Which cytoskeletal element is primarily associated with strength and structural support?
Intermediate filaments.
A cell becomes too large to efficiently exchange nutrients and waste. What is the main problem?
Its surface-area-to-volume ratio has become too low.
Which electron microscope sends electrons through a thin specimen to see internal structures?
TEM — Transmission Electron Microscope.
Name one major difference between bacteria and archaea.
Their cell membrane chemistry and cell wall composition differ, among other molecular differences.
Which organelles have their own DNA and support the Endosymbiotic Theory?
Mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Which cytoskeletal element forms tracks for intracellular transport and is important in cell division?
Microtubules.