Cell/Cell membrane/active transport Biological & Biomedical Essay

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Cell Questions:
1 Describe the differences between plant and animal cells. Be specific.
Plant cells are comprised of a cell wall, one large central vacuole, chloroplasts, plastids, a plasma membrane that has both of the cell wall and membrane, lysosomes that are not evident, and most do not contain cilia. On the contrary, animals do not possess a cell wall. Furthermore, they have only small vacuoles ,which can vary in number, as compared to plant cells, has centrioles, no plastids, a plasma membrane which is composed of the only cell membrane, and has cilia. Both of these have cytoplasm, ribosomes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes, Golgi apparatus, nucleus, and microtubules (Machalek, 2012).
2 How does a prokaryotic cell differ from a eukaryotic cell? Which evolved first?
Prokaryote differs from eukaryote such that it has a smaller cellular size, it contains no nucleus, no true membrane-bound nucleus, there’s absence of membrane-bound organelles except for smaller ribosomes, and its DNA is a single loop of chromosome stored in a nucleoid. Prokaryotes evolved first compared to eukaryotes (Basic Biology, n.d.).
3 How would a cell in the leaf differ from a cell in the stem? Think of their functions.
Mainly function for photosynthesis, leaf cells contain chloroplasts, which are green organelles responsible for making sugars utilizing the sun’s energy and carbon dioxide. Leaf cells also contain stomata, which opens and closes for the entry of the carbon dioxide into its system. By contrast, stem cells are mostly featureless parenchyma cells. With xylem and phloem cells, its vascular tissues are packed together into bundles (Basic Biology, n.d.).
4 a) How does the function of a somatic cell (like a muscle cell) differ from a bacterial cell?b) Based on your answer in a), what differences would you expect to see in terms of organelles?
Bacterial cell function focuses mainly on getting enough nutrients to support itself and survive while somatic cells are adult stem cells that replace old batteries, repair damage, and contribute to growth and development (Davidson, 2015).
Bacterial cells contain no nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles but have ribosomes whereas somatic cells are composed of organelles similar to that of eukaryotic cells wherein it consists of a nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, lysosomes, and cytoskeleton (Davidson, 2015).
Cell Membrane Questions:
5 Explain the term “fluid mosaic”.
This illustrates the arrangement of the plasma membrane, which contains phospholipids, cholesterol, and carbohydrates that are distributed throughout the layer. These molecules move in a fluid manner that makes it unfeasible to create an absolutely impenetrable barrier that allows specific small bits to enter the membrane quickly. Fatty acids serve a significant function in upholding the membrane fluidity, temperature, and cholesterol (Berne, 2017).
6 Describe the various functions of integral proteins.
Their primary function is to act as channels and carriers in transporting polar molecules (actively or passively), which were too big or...