Animal

Physiology

Evolution
Cell Biology
Genetics
Plant Biology

Human
Physiology
Molecular Ecology
Biology
SL

HL
WHAT DO I EXPECT:
1.Participate
2.Complete/Submit h/w on time
3.Give 100% to all tasks
4.Punctual – Don’t turn up and then go to the toilet!!!
5.Books/laptop out as soon as you enter
6.Read around the topic

7.Bring your device

8.Keep a glossary
OBJECTIVES:
State what is meant by ‘cell theory’ and examine evidence for it
Explain how surface area to volume ratio limits size
Examine unicellular and multicellular organisms
Compare types of microscope and calculate magnification and size

STARTER ACTIVITY KEY WORDS:

CELL THEORY
3: Parts of the cell MICROSCOPE
2: Specialised cells MAGNIFICATION
UNICELLULAR
1: Definition for the word ‘cell’ MULTICELLULAR
THE ORIGINS OF CELL THEORY:

The discovery of cells was linked to the development of the

microscope
1665: Robert Hooke 1838: Matthias 1858: Rudolph
studies cork and Schleiden suggests Virchow
names the structures that all plants are suggests all cells
“cells” made of cells come from cells

1590: Zacharias 1675: Anton van 1839: Theodor

Janssen invents Leeuwenhoek Schwann suggests
the compound discovers unicellular that all animal were
microscope organisms made from cells
CELL THEORY STATES THAT:
All living organisms are made of one or more cells

Cells are the smallest units of life

Cells only be formed from the division of other cells

All cells exhibit the features of living organisms:

M R S G R E N (C)

TASK: What are the features that make something ‘living’?

MRS GREN(C):

M Movement Travel from one place to another

R Respire Release energy from food
S Sensitive Respond to stimuli or their environment

G Grow Increase in size or mass

R Reproduce Produce offspring
E Excrete Remove toxic waste products
N Nutrition Either make their own food or eat other
organisms
C Control Keep their internal environment within fine
limits
THE CELL THEORY DEBATE…

Create a table for arguments for cell theory, and those that
question it with atypical cells.
Cells removed
Skeletal muscle is made The microscope has shown all from tissue can
of large fibres (30mm) living things to made of cells or grow
and have multiple nuclei cell products independently
for a short
Giant algae can Experiments by Pasteur and
amount of time
grow to 100mm Redi proved spontaneous
despite having generation of cells did not
Phloem sieve cells have few internal
just 1 nucleus occur
organelles and their metabolism is
controlled by companion cells
Fungal hyphae Nothing smaller than
have multiple a cell has been found Life may have originated from
nuclei and are to be able to carry smaller organelles (mitochondria
not clearly out all the functions & chloroplasts) that then became
divided of life encapsulated within cells

THE CELL THEORY DEBATE…
FOR
The microscope has shown all living
things to be made of cells or cell
products
Cells removed from tissue can grow
independently for a short amount of
time
Nothing smaller than a cell has been
found to be able to carry out all the
functions of life
Experiments by Pasteur and Redi
proved spontaneous generation of
cells did not occur
Exceptions/Discrepencies that you need
to know about!
AGAINST
Skeletal muscle is made of large fibres and
have multiple nuclei
Fungal hyphae have multiple nuclei and are
not clearly divided
Giant algae can grow to 100mm despite
having just 1 nucleus
Life may have originated from smaller
organelles (mitochondria & chloroplasts)
that then became encapsulated within cells
Phloem sieve cells have few internal
organelles and their metabolism is
controlled by companion cells
CONSIDERING THE DISCREPANCIES

How does the multinucleated cytoplasm of fungal hyphae and

skeletal muscles bring the cell theory into question?
The cell theory states that cells are the smallest unit of life and that organisms are
made of cells. Both skeletal muscle cells and fungal hyphae are made from
elongated cytoplasm with more than one nucleus. These structures are a problem
for cell theory because they are not strictly made of cells

How does Acetabularium, the giant algal cell that can grow up to

10 cm in length and has three distinct body parts, disturb the cell
theory?
Cell theory states that organisms are made of cells. Acetabularium is a whole
organism and it is larger than a cell. This disturbs the cell theory because it seems to
break the rule that all organisms are made of cells by not itself being made of cells
HOMEWORK

Giant algae are an exception to

a ‘normal’ cell

They can grow to 100mm

At this size we would expect them to be made of many cells…

not just one!

Read the journal paper on Caulerpa and write a summary of the

paper. Include:

 What is Caulerpa?
 Why is it unlike most ‘normal’ cells?
MICROSCOPES:

•The development of the microscope was instrumental in our

understanding of cells and living organisms.

•There are TWO main types of Microscope:

1) Light Microscope  Uses light beams and lenses

2) Electron Microscope  Uses beams of electrons and magnets

 TWO types

i) SEM: Scanning electron Microscope

• Electron beams are reflected off the specimen
ii) TEM: Transmission Electron Microscope
• Electron beam passes through the specimen
Microscopes – A Comparison

Light
Microscope

TEM

SEM
Electron Microscope

Ref: Roberts etal

Electron Micrograph of a Cell

Ref: Roberts etal

LIGHT MICROSCOPE VS ELECTRON MICROSCOPE

Use your devices to research the advantages and disadvantages of light

microscopes and electron microscopes

Light Electron
• Easy preparation Can • High magnification (up to 500,000X)
+ examine living material • High resolution (about 0.25nm)
• Movement can be observed • Allows more detail to be observed
• Colour can be seen
• Cheap & Transportable
• Larger field of view

• Low magnification • Long/extensive preparation of

- • Low resolution (about specimens
0.25µm) • Specimens must be dead
• No movement observed
• Only get monochrome images
• Small field of view
• Expensive & Non transportable
HOOKE’S WORK
EXPERIMENT: USING A MICROSCOPE https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GHnndVuaync

Imagine you are Robert Hooke.

1) Look at cork under the microscope and draw what he would have seen

2) Prepare a banana, potato or leaf cell slide You did this for GCSE!
 Draw what you see
 Draw a typical plant cell and label it Can you remember how?

3) Prepare a slide of an animal cell (cheek cell)

Page 9 of Biology For
 Draw what you see
You will help if not!
 Draw and label a typical animal cell
Follow instructions on
4) Write a method for what you did the sheet to help

Extension  why do we stain the cells?

 why can we not see everything in the cell?
EXPERIMENT: BUILD YOUR OWN MICROSCOPE

It is possible to build your own microscope making use of your smart

phones (I’m assuming most of you have one!)

Find step by step instructions here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/10-Smartphone-to-digital-microscope-
conversion/?ALLSTEPS

View a YouTube video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=KpMTkr_aiYU
WHAT SIZE?

•Although even the largest cell is too small to see with the unaided eye, it
is important to have an understanding of the relative sizes of cells and
organelles.

•You need to know the relative units;

• 10-3 of a metre = 1 millimetre or 1mm
• 10-6 of a metre or 10-3 of a millimetre = 1 micrometre or 1μm
• 10-9 of a metre or 10-6 of a millimetre or 10-3 of a micrometre = 1 nanometre or
1nm

•The most useful units for measuring the sizes of cells and structures
within them are nanometres (nm) and micrometres (μm)
PITSTOP: CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
m cm mm µm nm

1
3
5
30
150
Fill in the blanks in the table above
PITSTOP: CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

m cm mm µm nm

1 100 1000 1 x 106 1 x 109

0.03 3 30 30,000 3 x 107
0.005 0.5 5 5,000 5 x 106
3 x 10-5 0.003 0.03 30 30,000
1.5 x 10-7 1.5 x 10-5 0.00015 0.15 150
Relative Sizes

Molecules Membrane Viruses Bacteria Organelles Cells

Thickness

1nm 10nm 100nm 1μm Up to Up to

10μm 100μm

Increasing Size
CALCULATING MAGNIFICATION

Magnification = Image Size

Real Size

If the size of the bar was 2cm:

Magnification = 20,000µm
5µm

Magnification = 4,000 X
Make sure the units are the
same! (20,000µm = 2cm 
the size of the bar!)
CALCULATING CELL SIZE TASK: Complete the magnification worksheet

•An Alternative is that the electron 750X

Micrograph states the magnification.

•From this you can calculate the actual

size:
• Measure the dimension of the cell.
41mm

• Divide this by the magnification.

41 / 750 = 0.055mm

• Convert to a sensible unit.

0.055mm X 1000 = 55μm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1d-
02yRsRE&list=UU0PKoMASr5dgW_v5-93d_mw
SURFACE AREA TO VOLUME RATIO

•As an organism increases in size, its surface area to volume ratio

decreases.

•This can be easily seen by comparing the following cubes

•Volume increases more

rapidly than the surface
area

•As size increases the

surface area to volume
ratio decreases
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
SURFACE AREA LIMITS CELL SIZE… v=xuG4ZZ1GbzI

•Cell surface is needed for the transport of food into the cell,
heat in and out, and waste products out of the cell

•Rate of metabolism is a function of a cells volume

•As cell size increases the surface area is no longer sufficient to

allow these exchanges at a rate that supports life.

•This prevents cells from being big!

•Experiment  Phenylthalein cubes and acid!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
SURFACE AREA LIMITS CELL SIZE… v=xuG4ZZ1GbzI

•Experiment  Phenylthalein cubes and acid!

 UNICELLULAR ORGANISMS

•Some organisms are composed of

only one cell.
• eg: Paramecium, Chlamydomonas,
Euglena, Chlorella, Amoeba

•This single cells has to carry out all

the activities essential to living
organisms.
• ie: obtaining food, excreting waste
products, producing offspring

TASK: Research Paramecium and Chlamydomonas. Draw and label a diagram of

each cell and create a table to explain how they meet the functions of life
 CHLAMYDOMONAS

TASK: Why can unicellular cells not

grow to enormous sizes?
 CHLORELLA

TASK: Why can unicellular cells not

grow to enormous sizes?
MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS

•Multicellular organisms consist of many cells.

•These cells do not have to carry out many different functions.

•Instead they can become specialised for one particular function and
carry it out very efficiently.

•This is called differentiation.

• eg: muscle cell, nerve cell, xylem cell

•Each cell has all the genes for the organism BUT only certain genes are
turned on, the ones needed for that cells particular function. The others
are switched off because the cell does not do that function.
 Gene expression
EMMERGENT PROPERTIES

Interaction between different

cells to create new functions

Allows multicellular organisms

to complete functions that
individual cells cannot

E.g. Cell  Tissue  Organ

 System
 Open this and read through:
STEM CELLS http://outreach.mcb.harvard.edu/animations/
preloaderStemCells.swf

Unspecialised and undifferentiated cells with 2 key qualities

1. Self renewal  Can divide and

replicate

2. Potency  Capable of
differentiation

 Derived from embryos or from

the placenta/umbilical cord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=9xdEsuroJaE&feature=player_embedded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovPZkQYee8Y
 http://
www.belfastteleg
STEM CELLS raph.co.uk/
news/health/
stem-cell-
Used to replace damaged or diseased tissues technique-gives-
ill-northern-
ireland-boy-a-
 Replace dead retinal cells new-windpipe-
28550929.html
 Graft new skin
 Replace nerve cells in
spinal injuries
 Bone marrow transplants
for patients on
chemotherapy

There are many ethical

issues surrounding the
therapeutic use of stem
cells
https://
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=o2bY6JQ5HiA
STEM CELL PRESENTATION

Create a presentation taking the following into account. Finish

for homework and present next lesson!
GRADE I HAVE…
3 Described what stem cells are (key words: potency;
differentiation
4 Explained how stem cells are extracted for therapeutic use
5 Explained how stem cells are used to treat Stargardt’s Disease

6 Suggested how stem cells are used to treat one other condition

7 Analysed the ethical issues surrounding stem cell use

PEER ASSESSMENT

2 stars 1 wish

GRADE I HAVE…
4 Described what stem cells
5 Explained how stem cells are extracted for
therapeutic use
6 Explained how stem cells are used to treat Stargardt’s
Disease
7 Suggested how stem cells are used to treat one other
condition
8 Analysed the ethical issues surrounding stem cell use
OBJECTIVES:
State what is meant by ‘cell theory’ and examine evidence for it
Explain how surface area to volume ratio limits size
Examine unicellular and multicellular organisms
Compare types of microscope and calculate magnification and size

SUMMARY ACTIVITY HOMEWORK:

Create a 10 question multiple choice Create a set of revision notes
quiz (including answers!) for the work covered so far.

Doing this now will save time in

Have a go at 3 other people’s quizzes the long run!
I CAN… I AM…
State what is meant by cell theory 3
Describe the differences between, and identify 4
examples of, unicellular and multicellular organisms
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of 5
different microscopes
Calculate magnification and structure size 6
Analyse the uses for stem cells and debate the ethical 7
issues surrounding their therapeutic use