THE CELL AS THE BASIC

UNIT OF LIFE
 Presented by:

 Joy Maina – 31153

 Lincoln Kithaka – 30533

 Adrine Wanyoike – 32249

 Gerald Njuki - 29994

INTRODUCTION
A cell is the basic membrane-bound unit that contains
the fundamental molecules of life and of which all living
things are composed.
 A single cell is often a complete organism in itself, such
as a bacterium or yeast.
 Other cells acquire specialized functions as they
mature.
 These cells cooperate with other specialized cells and
become the building blocks of large multicellular
organisms, such as humans and other animals.
 Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things.
The human body is composed of trillions of cells.
 They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients
from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and
carry out specialized functions.
 Cells also contain the body’s hereditary material and
can make copies of themselves.
 Cells have many parts, each with a different function.
Some of these parts, called organelles, are specialized
structures that perform certain tasks within the cell.
TYPES OF CELL
 There are two types of cell namely:

 prokaryotic: Small cells in the domains Bacteria and

Archaea that do not contain a membrane-bound
nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles.

 eukaryotic: Having complex cells in which the genetic

material is contained within membrane-bound nuclei.
Prokaryotic cell
Eukaryotic cell
WHY THE CELL IS TERMED AS THE
BASIC UNIT OF LIFE
 In terms of structure :
 Cells are the most basic building units of life, all living things
are composed of cells, and new cells are made from preexisting
cells, which divide into two.

 A cell can replicate itself independently. Hence, they are known

as the building blocks of life.

 Robert Hooke, one of the first scientists to use a light

microscope, discovered the cell in 1665.
WHY IS THE CELL IS TERMED AS THE
BASIC UNIT OF LIFE
 In terms of function:
 Cells are the basic units of life capable of doing all the required
biochemical processes that a normal cell has to do in order to
live. 
 The basic needs for the survival of all living organisms are the
same.
 All living organisms need to respire, digest food for obtaining
energy, and get rid of metabolic wastes. 
 Cells are capable of performing all the metabolic functions of
the body. Hence, cells are called as the functional units of life.
The cell theory
 By the late 1830s, botanist Matthias Schleiden and
zoologist Theodor Schwann were studying tissues and
proposed the unified cell theory.

 The unified cell theory states that: all living things are
composed of one or more cells; the cell is the basic unit
of life; and new cells arise from existing cells.
CONCLUSION
 Cells are one of the characteristics we use to define whether something is
alive or not. Hence life cannot exist without cells.
 Cells are the smallest common denominator of life. Some cells are organisms
unto themselves; others are part of multicellular organisms. All cells are
made from the same major classes of organic molecules: nucleic acids,
proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. In addition, cells can be placed in two
major categories as a result of ancient evolutionary events: prokaryotes, with
their cytoplasmic genomes, and eukaryotes, with their nuclear-encased
genomes and other membrane-bound organelles. Though they are small,
cells have evolved into a vast variety of shapes and sizes. Together they form
tissues that themselves form organs, and eventually entire organisms.
REFERENCES
 Agard DA, Hiraoka Y, Shaw P & Sedat JW (1989) Fluorescence
microscopy in three dimensions. In Methods in Cell Biology, vol
30: Fluorescence Microscopy of Living Cells in Culture, part B
(DL Taylor, Y-L Wang eds). San Diego: Academic Press.

 Karp G (19 October 2009). Cell and Molecular Biology:

Concepts and Experiments. John Wiley & Sons. p. 2.

 Maton A (1997). Cells Building Blocks of Life. New Jersey:

Prentice Hall.
THANK YOU 😊