Cell Scenarios (9 points)

Name: __________________

Real cells dont look like the examples given in the book. Each cell has organelles (cell parts/structures) that help it do its job. This means that some cells have no representatives of some parts and LOTS of others. The following descriptions of cells are designed to help you review the functions of some of the organelles and get the sense that cells are specifically designed to do a specific job or jobs for the organism to which they belong. Read the description of each type of cell below then list the organelle(s) you think would be very common or missing from the particular cell. 1. A sperm cell is unique in that it is designed to move around. Because of this, it needs to turn food (usually sugar) into energy. What organelle would you expect to be VERY plentiful in sperm cells.

2. A cell from the leaf of a cactus is green, which indicates the cells in it contain chlorophyll, a chemical that can turn light energy into food. This chemical is stored in an organelle that is VERY plentiful in the leaf cell. What are these organelles?

3. When you water a plant, it tends to perk up or stand a little taller. This is because plant cells have an organelle designed to store water and other things for later use. What organelle would be plentiful in plants and used for this purpose?

4. Onion cells are plant cells, but they are not green. This means they do not contain any of a certain kind of organelle. Because they are plant cells, however, they look kind of rectangular. What organelle is missing in onion cells, and what organelle gives onion their shape? 5. White blood cells are especially active when you are sick because

their primary job is to fight off infections often bacteria or viruses that do not belong in you. Once they locate the invader making you sick, they eat it and destroy it. What organelle do you think is plentiful in white blood cells? 6. Endocrine cells make hormones to send messages from one cell to another. Some of the messages they send are certain types of proteins. These proteins need to be able to travel out of the cell to get to other cells. What part of the cell will make sure the protein signals will be ready to leave the endocrine cells? 7. Your skin is a protective sheet that surrounds you on the outside. When a cut is made in the skin cells that make up this sheet, your protective layer is broken down. What part of your skin cells is punctured when you have a cut? 8. Muscles work because of 2 proteins in the cells, so the muscle cells that make up your muscles contain lots of organelles that make protein. Sometimes these organelles are located on another organelle and sometimes they are found freely in the cells cytoplasm. What organelles would you expect to be plentiful in protein-rich muscle cells? To what organelle are these often found attached? 9. Red blood cells (RBCs) are interesting because they are made in your bone marrow, not by other RBCs. RBCs only live a short time (about 3 months) and are then recycled. They have no real control center of the cell which cells need in order to reproduce. What organelle is missing from RBCs? 10.Write your own specific cell type and answer it. (BONUS POINT)