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Specialised Cells Fact Sheets

Root hair cells are found close to the tips of plant roots and have a large surface area and thin cell walls to maximize water absorption. They contain vacuoles and mitochondria to facilitate osmosis and active transport of minerals into the cell. Nerve cells transmit electrical signals throughout the body at speeds up to 300km/h via long dendrites and synapses that release transmitter chemicals with help from mitochondria. Muscle cells contain contractile proteins and mitochondria that allow skeletal and cardiac muscle to contract and power movement and organ function.

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423 views8 pages

Specialised Cells Fact Sheets

Root hair cells are found close to the tips of plant roots and have a large surface area and thin cell walls to maximize water absorption. They contain vacuoles and mitochondria to facilitate osmosis and active transport of minerals into the cell. Nerve cells transmit electrical signals throughout the body at speeds up to 300km/h via long dendrites and synapses that release transmitter chemicals with help from mitochondria. Muscle cells contain contractile proteins and mitochondria that allow skeletal and cardiac muscle to contract and power movement and organ function.

Uploaded by

Claire Science
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Root hair cell

Facts

 Is a plant cell
 Found close to the tips of growing roots
 Has a large surface area increasing the amount of water that
can be taken in.
 Only lives for 2-3 weeks and needs to be replaced
 Has a really thin cell wall
 Large Permanent vacuole to speed up osmosis (movement of
water in to the cell)
 Lots of mitochondria to transfer the energy needed for active
transport of mineral ions into the cell.
 Found relatively close to xylem tissue.
Nerve Cell

Synapse

FACTS

 The longest cells in the body and can be up to 1.3m long


 Transmit electrical impulses from one place to another, tells
the body how to react to senses
 Messages are carried at speeds of up to 300km/h
 Has connection points at both ends
 Lots of dendrites to make connections with other nerve cells.
 The synapses are adapted to pass impulses between other
nerve cells or muscle cells by special transmitter chemicals.
 They contain a lot of mitochondria to provide the energy to
make these chemicals.
Photosynthetic Cell

FACTS

 Needed to carry out photosynthesis


 Has chloroplasts which contain chlorophyll, the green pigment
needed to trap the light for photosynthesis
 Usually found in continuous layers in leaves and outer layer of
stems to absorb as much light as possible.
 Large permanent vacuole to help keep the leaves spread out
and stem rigid.
Sperm Cell

FACTS

● The head contains a large nucleus containing the genetic


information to be passed on.

● The tip of the head (acrosome) contains a digestive enzyme to


help penetrate the outer layer of egg cell

● A long tail moves the sperm to the egg

 Lots of mitochondria in the middle section to provide energy


for the tail to work.

● Sperm fertilises an egg cell


Muscle Cell

FACTS

● Muscles are responsible for maintaining posture, physical


movement and movement of internal organs

● There are three types of muscle: skeletal, cardiac, and


smooth.

 Cardiac and skeletal muscle are made up of striated muscle


cells

● Striated muscle cells have special proteins that slide over


each other to make the fibres contract.

● Muscle cells are long and arranged in fibres so that have


space to contract and relax. The fibres make them strong

● They contain a lot of mitochondria for the energy needed.

 They can store glycogen, a carbohydrate store that can be


accessed easily for respiration.
Xylem Cell

FACTS

● The transport tissue in plants, carries water and mineral ions

 Aids in the support of the plant

 Xylem cells are alive when formed

 Lignin builds up in spirals in the cell walls, the cells die and
form a hollow tube to allow the flow of water and mineral ions

 The spiral formation of the lignin makes them strong so they


can withstand the water pressure and support the stem.
Phloem Cell

FACTS

● Phloem cells allow movement of dissolved food substances


from the stems to growing tissues and storage tissues

● Phloem cells are columns of living cells (no lignin)

● Phloem cells are long tubes

 The cell wall between adjoining cells break down to form a


sieve like structure which allows the dissolved food to move
easily.

 They have companion cells which help them survive as most


of their internal structures are lost to make room for the food
to move through.

 The energy needed to move the food comes from the


mitochondria of those companion cells.

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