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 Muscle Adaptation: Cardiac & Striated Cells

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

Table of content

Muscles - what's the big deal?

Muscle tissue is like the cool superhero of our body! They have this neat power: contractility, which means they can shorten in length. Imagine Spiderman's web-shooting action, but instead of shooting webs, muscles pull!

 

Real-world example: When you bend your arm, the bicep muscle contracts (or shortens) while its antagonist, the tricep, lengthens.

Tag-team duo - muscles in pairs

Muscles are social creatures; they like to work in pairs, called antagonistic pairs. When one contracts, its buddy lengthens.

 

Real-world example: Think of it like a seesaw. When one side goes up, the other goes down!

Striated AKA skeletal muscles - the stripy guys

  • These muscles help you dance, jump, or even do the floss! They're attached to bones, hence they're named skeletal muscles.
  • If you zoom in on them using a light microscope, you'd see they sport stripes - thus they're also called striated muscles. It's like they're wearing striped pajamas!

Muscle fibres - not your regular cells

  • These are like long, unbranched tubes all aligned together. Each tube is called a muscle fibre.

  • Fun fact: They come together by fusing many baby muscle cells (embryonic muscle cells).

  • Despite being enclosed by a single plasma membrane, they are a bit rebellious with multiple nuclei and being much longer than typical cells.

    Real-world example: If muscle fibres were a train, typical cells would be just one compartment of that train.

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

Theme B - Form & Function

Unlocking Muscle Adaptation: Cardiac & Striated Cells

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

Table of content

Muscles - what's the big deal?

Muscle tissue is like the cool superhero of our body! They have this neat power: contractility, which means they can shorten in length. Imagine Spiderman's web-shooting action, but instead of shooting webs, muscles pull!

 

Real-world example: When you bend your arm, the bicep muscle contracts (or shortens) while its antagonist, the tricep, lengthens.

Tag-team duo - muscles in pairs

Muscles are social creatures; they like to work in pairs, called antagonistic pairs. When one contracts, its buddy lengthens.

 

Real-world example: Think of it like a seesaw. When one side goes up, the other goes down!

Striated AKA skeletal muscles - the stripy guys

  • These muscles help you dance, jump, or even do the floss! They're attached to bones, hence they're named skeletal muscles.
  • If you zoom in on them using a light microscope, you'd see they sport stripes - thus they're also called striated muscles. It's like they're wearing striped pajamas!

Muscle fibres - not your regular cells

  • These are like long, unbranched tubes all aligned together. Each tube is called a muscle fibre.

  • Fun fact: They come together by fusing many baby muscle cells (embryonic muscle cells).

  • Despite being enclosed by a single plasma membrane, they are a bit rebellious with multiple nuclei and being much longer than typical cells.

    Real-world example: If muscle fibres were a train, typical cells would be just one compartment of that train.

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 🌟