CELL THEORY AND SIZE

CELL THEORY
CELL: THE BASIC STRUCTURAL/FUNCTIONAL UNIT OF
LIVING THINGS
CELL THEORY
During the 17th century, cells were observed for the first time as a result of developments in microscopy. The
observations of several scientists were used to form the cell theory, which has three points:

• Cells are the smallest unit

of life
• All organisms are made of
one or more cells
• Cells arise from pre-
existing cells
CELL THEORY

◼ Based on the work of many scientists (

see video), the following is our accepted basic
understanding of cells:
1. All living things are made up of one or more
cells.
2. All living things arise from pre-existing cells
by division. (“all cells come from other
cells”)
3. The cell is the basic unit of life.
ROBERT HOOKE

◼ Robert Hooke was a scientist

who used
microscopes to observe the
structure of materials and
organisms.
◼ He published a book called
Micrographia and is considered
the father of modern microscopy.
ROBERT HOOKE
Hooke coined the term
‘cell’ in 1655 when he
viewed cork under his
microscope.

He noted it was made of

tiny blocks that
reminded him of a
monk’s cell.

He was really viewing

the cell walls of in the
cork plant’s ark.
ANTON VON
LEEUWENHOEK
About 20 years
later, Anton von
Leeuwenhoek used
his microscope to
observe pond water.
He discovered
single-celled
organisms and
termed them
‘animal-cules.’
In 1838, Schleiden
and Schwann
proposed the cell
theory.

• Schleiden observed that all plants and • Schwann observed that all animals
their parts are made of cells and their parts are made of cells
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Rudolf Virchow was a German

doctor who observed cells in the
process of division.
So, he proposed that cells arise
from pre-existing cells. This
contradicted the idea of
spontaneous generation, which
was prevalent at the time.
 Robert Hooke – viewed cork under microscope and
CELL THEORY coined the term “cells”
CONTRIBUTOR
Anton van Leeuwenhoek – first to view live cell (called
S them “animalcules – little animals”)

Matthias Schleiden – cells are the basic unit of plants

Theodor Schwann – ALL living things (animals in

addition to plants) are composed of cells

Rudolf Virchow – all cells come from pre-existing cells

EXCEPTIONS TO CELL THEORY

When testing cell theory, there are several examples of

organisms that do not fit the typical examples of
cells:
◼ Striated muscle cells make up the muscle tissue that
we use to move. They are formed by smaller cells
fusing together. As a result:
◼ Their cells are very large (~30 mm long)
◼ They have many nuclei (sometimes several hundred)
EXCEPTIONS TO CELL
THEORY

◼ Algae are photosynthetic

organisms that are simple in
structure and internal
organization. They form the
base of most marine food
chains.
◼ Giant algae are single cells that
can grow to be up to 100 mm
long.
◼ Despite their size, they still
only have a single nucleus
CELL SIZE
 ◼ Cells → Tissues → Organs → Bodies
WHY STUDY ◼ bodies are made up of cells
CELLS? ◼ cells do all the work of life!
LIMITATION OF CELL SIZE

QUESTION TO CONSIDER:
Most plant and animal cells are 10-30 um in diameter.
Why don’t we run across cells much bigger? Why
don’t you worry about being engulfed by a 10 foot
wide ameoboid-like cell on your way to class?
WHAT LIMITS CELL SIZE?

help me!!!
LIMITATION OF CELL SIZE

◼ Larger organisms have MORE cells, not LARGER cells

◼ Only so much of a substance may pass through the membrane
of a cell at a time
◼ Surface Area:Volume Ratio: as a cell increases in size, its
volume increases much faster than its surface area
◼ Metabolic requirements set the upper limits of cell size
◼ Cell must have a high enough SA:V ratio to ensure enough
nutrients can be absorbed and wastes can be removed through the
available SA of the cell membrane
 Cells with a larger volume
require more precursors for
their metabolic reactions.

So, large volumes require

large surface areas.

A cell’s surface area determines

the rate at which molecules can
pass through the membrane. If
more surface area is available,
more reactants and products can
diffuse in/out of the environment.
As a cell grows, its surface area (SA) and volume (V) do not increase at the
same rate. A high SA:V ratio is essential for a cells’ survival. To consider this,
you can visualize cells as perfect cubes.

1µm
2µm
3µm

4µm
5µm
6µm
 Size /
Fill in the chart below µm
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
showing the surface
Surface
area and volume of a Area /
cube with the shown µm2
side size. The relevant Volume /
equations are below. µm3

Surface Area = 6s2 Volume = s3

Fill in the chart
below showing the Size /
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
surface area and µm
Surface
volume of a cube Area / 6 24 54 96 150 216 294
µm2
with the shown side Volume /
µm3 1 8 27 64 125 216 343
size. The relevant
equations are below.
Surface Area = 6s2 Volume = s3
 Size /
µm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Now, calculate the
Surface
surface area to volume Area / 6 24 54 96 150 216 294
µm2
ratio, by dividing the
surface area by the Volume /
µm3 1 8 27 64 125 216 343
corresponding volume.
SA / V
 Size /
µm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Now, calculate the
surface area to
Surface
volume ratio, by Area /
µm2
6 24 54 96 150 216 294

dividing the surface

area by the Volume /
1 8 27 64 125 216 343
µm3
corresponding
volume. SA / V 6 3 2 1.5 1.2 1 0.86
Complete the following graph to visualize the relationship between
SA:V ratio and cube (cell) side length.
SA:V Ratio vs Side length
10
9
8
7
6
Surface
5
Area :
Volume 4
3
2
1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Side length (um)
To maintain a high SA:V as they grow, cells have developed several adaptations. For
example, cells can divide to maintain the same volume, but drastically increase surface
area.
 CELL SIZE COMPARISON

Animal cell
Bacterial cell
most bacteria
▪1-10 microns
eukaryotic cells
▪ 10-100 microns

▪ micron = micrometer = 1/1,000,000 meter

▪ diameter of human hair = ~20 microns
CELL SIZE AND SCALE

Cell Size a
nd Scale
 LIMITATION OF
CELL SIZE

◼ Some cells have adapted

and changed their shape
in order to function while
maintaining high SA:V
ratio
◼ Nerve cells
◼ Villi
◼ Root Hairs
 30

◼ Other cells can change their

morphology:
◼ Cells in the intestine form villi.
These are finger-like protrusions
that increase surface area.
◼ Skin cells flatten out to for form
thin films.
Mammals have a
long small intestine
with internal folding
to absorb digested
food.
Lung cells and the
roots of plants
branch out. This
gives lung cells
access to more air
and plant cells more
access to water.
 1. What role does volume play in cell
activity?
2. What role does surface area play in cell
activity?
REVIEW
3. Why is maintaining a high SA:V ratio
important for cells?
4. What are some ways that cells have
adapted to maintain a high SA:V ratio?