Biology HL
Biology HL
4
Chapters
553
Notes
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Theme B - Form & Function
Theme B - Form & Function
Theme C - Interaction &  Interdependence
Theme C - Interaction & Interdependence
Theme D - Continuity & Change
Theme D - Continuity & Change
IB Resources
Theme B - Form & Function
Biology HL
Biology HL

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Cell Secrets A Deep Dive Into Organelles

Word Count Emoji
541 words
Reading Time Emoji
3 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 14th Jun 2024

Table of content

Organelles - the tiny workers in our cells

  • 🧱 What are Organelles?

    Think of cells as cities. Just as cities have specific buildings for specific tasks, cells have organelles for specific jobs. They're like tiny workers doing their tasks to keep the cell running smoothly.

  • 🚀 Organelle Specialization

    The cool thing about organelles? They're specialists, not generalists. This means they're really good at their job, like how a chef excels in the kitchen but might not be the best plumber.

    Real-world example: If cells were a big factory, the organelles would be the specialized machines each responsible for one type of product.

  • 🛠 Organelle Structures

    Some organelles are surrounded by a single or double layer of membrane, like a jacket. Others are solid, mostly made of proteins or RNA and don't have this jacket.

    Famous organelles? Nuclei, vesicles, ribosomes, and the plasma membrane.

  • 🏰 What Aren’t Organelles?

    • Cell Walls: These are like the city walls, outside the main city (cell).
    • Cytoskeleton: It's like the road network of a city – not concentrated in one place.
    • Cytoplasm: Think of this as the bustling city streets with everyone and everything in it.
  • 🐾 Eukaryotic vs. Prokaryotic Cells

    Eukaryotic cells = cities with many buildings (organelles). Prokaryotic cells = small villages with fewer buildings. This might be because their village size is small, or they like keeping things simple and quick.

Brain-tickling questions

  • 🤔 Are the following part of the bustling city streets (cytoplasm) or separate entities?
    a. Vacuoles in plant cells
    b. Mitochondria and chloroplasts

    Remember: One way to define cytoplasm is everything inside the city walls (plasma membrane) but outside the city hall (nucleus). Another definition? The busy streets themselves where all the buildings (organelles) stand.

  • 🌱 Plant Cell Division Queries
    During cell division, mitosis divides the city hall (nucleus), and cytokinesis divides the entire city. But, what happens to the energy factories (mitochondria) and solar panels (chloroplasts)? And what about the water storage tanks (plant vacuoles)?

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IB Resources
Theme B - Form & Function
Biology HL
Biology HL

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Cell Secrets A Deep Dive Into Organelles

Word Count Emoji
541 words
Reading Time Emoji
3 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 14th Jun 2024

Table of content

Organelles - the tiny workers in our cells

  • 🧱 What are Organelles?

    Think of cells as cities. Just as cities have specific buildings for specific tasks, cells have organelles for specific jobs. They're like tiny workers doing their tasks to keep the cell running smoothly.

  • 🚀 Organelle Specialization

    The cool thing about organelles? They're specialists, not generalists. This means they're really good at their job, like how a chef excels in the kitchen but might not be the best plumber.

    Real-world example: If cells were a big factory, the organelles would be the specialized machines each responsible for one type of product.

  • 🛠 Organelle Structures

    Some organelles are surrounded by a single or double layer of membrane, like a jacket. Others are solid, mostly made of proteins or RNA and don't have this jacket.

    Famous organelles? Nuclei, vesicles, ribosomes, and the plasma membrane.

  • 🏰 What Aren’t Organelles?

    • Cell Walls: These are like the city walls, outside the main city (cell).
    • Cytoskeleton: It's like the road network of a city – not concentrated in one place.
    • Cytoplasm: Think of this as the bustling city streets with everyone and everything in it.
  • 🐾 Eukaryotic vs. Prokaryotic Cells

    Eukaryotic cells = cities with many buildings (organelles). Prokaryotic cells = small villages with fewer buildings. This might be because their village size is small, or they like keeping things simple and quick.

Brain-tickling questions

  • 🤔 Are the following part of the bustling city streets (cytoplasm) or separate entities?
    a. Vacuoles in plant cells
    b. Mitochondria and chloroplasts

    Remember: One way to define cytoplasm is everything inside the city walls (plasma membrane) but outside the city hall (nucleus). Another definition? The busy streets themselves where all the buildings (organelles) stand.

  • 🌱 Plant Cell Division Queries
    During cell division, mitosis divides the city hall (nucleus), and cytokinesis divides the entire city. But, what happens to the energy factories (mitochondria) and solar panels (chloroplasts)? And what about the water storage tanks (plant vacuoles)?

Unlock the Full Content! File Is Locked Emoji

Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Biology HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟