Cell Project

Evidence of Work

This project was focused around learning all of the organelles in both a plant and animal cell as well as all of their functions. For the project each group created a poster of either a plant or animal cell and all the organelles that go along with them. Our group did a poster on an animal cell with the descriptions for all of the organelles present. For the animal cell we included the cell membrane, centriole, lysosomes, vacuole, ribosomes, Golgi Apparatus, Rough endoplasmic reticulum, Smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, nucleus, and the nucleolus. The poster also includes a drawing and description of how active transport and passive transport function through the cell membrane. To further explore how the cell membrane works, we did an egg lab to watch how osmosis affects a cell. We put three different eggs with dissolved shells into vinegar, syrup, and water. The egg in water swelled, showing a hypotonic reaction while the egg in syrup shrunk showing a hypertonic solution. The egg in vinegar stayed mostly the same because it was an isotonic solution.

Content

Organelle Functions

Nucleus: It controls gene expression and mediates the replication of DNA during the cell cycle. It also directs activity.

Nucleolus: It makes ribosomal sub-units from protein and ribosomal RNA and sends them out to combine into complete ribosomes.

Ribosomes: A cell structure that makes protein.

Cell membrane: It controls the movement of substances in and out of cell and organelles.

Mitochondria: They take in nutrients, breaks them down and creates energy rich molecules for the cell (ATP)

Rough ER: The main function of the rough ER is to produce protein.

Smooth ER: It is a sub-unit within a cell that functions to make cellular products like hormones and lipids.

Golgi Body Apparatus: It's function is to modify, sort, and package proteins to secrete. It also transports lipids around the cell and is involved in the creation of lysosomes.

Centriole: The function of a centriole is to help with cell division in animal cells. It also helps the formation of spindle fibers that separate the chromosomes during cell division.

Vacuole: They provide structural support and serve as storage, waste disposal, protection, and growth.

Cytoplasm: It helps fill out the cell and keeps organelles in their place.

Chloroplast: They conduct photosynthesis(absorb sunlight to produce food)

Cell wall: It gives the cell strength and structure and filters molecules going in and out of the cell.

Terms

Hypotonic: There is a lower concentration of solute molecules outside of the cell than in.

Hypertonic: There is a greater concentration of solute molecules outside of the cell than in.

Isotonic: There is the same concentration of solute molecules outside the cell than in.

Osmosis: Diffusion of water through special channels called aquaporins. It moves from high to low concentration.

Reflection

I think overall this project was really fun and very educational. Doing the labs helped us remember everything on cells and cell membranes. I think the one C that we used the most during the project was communication. We made sure that everyone had something to do and that we could help our teammates if they were struggling. It was also important to make sure everyone was on the same page when we did the egg lab so we all had the same information like weight and size and could do each step together. I think a high point of this unit is that the egg lab actually worked and we could see the differences from before and after. I think something that didn't go as well was trying let everyone look at all the cells on the microscope in time.