Discussion Topic Cell Organelles and their Functions This unit we are learning a
ID: 51075 • Letter: D
Question
Discussion Topic
Cell Organelles and their Functions
This unit we are learning about cells and the organelles contained within. In this Discussion, we’ll focus on the functions of the various organelles and cell structures:
Cell membrane | Mitochondria | Plant cell wall | Plant chloroplast | Nucleus | Lysosomes | Nuclear envelope | Rough endoplasmic reticulum | Golgi apparatus | Smooth endoplasmic reticulum |Cytoskeleton | Cilia and flagella
Select four of the organelles or structures above and briefly describe where each is located in the cell, their appearance and the role each carries out.
Look around your home or place of work and find an item or process that is analogous to each of the four organelles you described. Be sure to explain how that item or process is analogous to the cell structure or organelle; be specific. Here is an example of an analogy:
A record player is like the rough endoplasmic reticulum in that it takes information encoded in the grooves of the record and translates them into a song from start to finish. The grooves in the record are like xxxxx and the song produced is like xxxxxx.
You will need to justify your analogy and provide the information indicated by xxxxxx. You may not use this example and do not use a tape recorder or CD either.
Explanation / Answer
Cell is the basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all living organisms. A eukaryotic cell comprises of a cell wall, plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, membrane-bound organelles, ribosomes, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, rough endoplasmic reticulum, vacuoles, etc.
The cell wall acts like a city wall and provides mechanical support, protection, and osmotic control.
The plasma membrane, which is also called cell membrane, acts as guards just inside the city wall. Similar to the guards, it allows few substances to enter in and few to leave out, with its selective permeability nature.
The nucleus being the heart or control centre of the cell, acts like a government that governs all the actions taking place in the city.
Cytoplasm is the total area or landscape in the city. It comprises of the general streets and grounds, where all things (metabolic reactions) take place.
Mitochondrion resembles an electricity generator, as it generates energy (ATP – adenosine triphosphate) for the city.
Chloroplast resembles food manufacturing units, as it synthesizes carbohydrates essential for the cell.
Ribosomes resemble the industrial area of the cell, where essential building material will be created to develop the city.
Rough endoplasmic reticulum resembles the couriers that collect materials from the industrial site and carry it to its needed place.
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum resembles the industrial site that creates packages to send and communicate with other cities.
Vesicles represent the transport vehicles that load and unload different materials.
Vacuole resembles a storehouse, where useful substances that might be needed later are stored.
Lysosomes act as military personnel. They attack the invaders, and also the unwanted organelles and push them out of the city.
Plasmodesma resembles the roads that connect the cities.
Certain house hold items can resemble cell organelles.
Battery represents Mitochondria in the way it generates energy for the instrument to work.
Envelop represents Golgi apparatus, as they can be used to stuff some material and transport.
A bottle of water or a can of some food stuff represents the vacuoles present in a cell.
Detergent sachets represent lysosomes. The detergent present in the sachet breaks the wastes and cleans up it similar to the lysosomal fluid.
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