ZOO05-Animal Physiology

2nd AY 2014-2015
Name:

Score:

Student number:

Date:

Exercise #1
Cell Structure and Function

I. Objectives:
At the end of this activity, the student should be able to:
1.

Describe the structures that you can expect to see in a typical animal cell
with the light microscope

2.

Describe how a bacteria cell looks like under the light microscope

3.

Explain how a prokaryotic cell such as a bacterium basically differs from a

typical eukaryotic cell.

4.

List structures found in unicellular organisms that are an adaptation to

their free-living life, and are not usually found in the cells of multicellular
organisms.

5.

List the advantages and disadvantages to an individual cell of being part

of a multicellular organism.

6.

Describe some specialized adaptations found in cells in multicellular

organisms and in tissues of higher organisms.

II. Materials:
Light microscope
Prepared slide of eukaryotic cell
Prepared slide of prokaryotic cell
Food with Lactobacilli
staining

III. Procedures:
A. Bacterium (Prokaryotic Cell) (use prepared slide)

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

- Use a toothpick to place a tiny dab of yogurt on your slide. add a small
drop of tap water and stir the toothpick around to spread out the cells. Add a
coverslip.
- Focus on the slide under low power and then switch to high power.
The swarms of rod-shaped organisms that you see are cells of yogurt bacterium
Lactobacillus. These bacteria are adapted to live on milk sugar (lactose) and are
used by human beings to convert ordinary milk into yogurt, which is acidic and
keeps much longer than milk. Their nutrition is thus by absorption. Bacteria can
use an enormous variety of food sources and many can carry out photosynthesis
to make their own food.

Can you see any structure within the cells? ____________

Bacteria have tough cell walls but do not have any of the membrane-bound
organelles that are found in eukaryotic cells. Their DNA is found in a nuclear
area.
What organelle, not visible in the light microscope, is found in both eukaryotic
and prokaryotic cells? __________________________

You will find 3 separate bacterial smears on the slide. Look at all 3 to find the 3
different shapes of bacteria. Draw them in the space provided on page 9. The 3
shapes are known as coccus(i), bacillus(i), and spirillum(a). Which is which?
Label.

B. SPECIALIZED ANIMAL CELLS

Intestinal Cells (Ileum)
In more complex multicellular organisms, the cells are actually much
simpler than some of the cells that you have already seen; the complexity is
created by combinations of cells rather than the cells themselves. Each
individual cell tends to lose some functions, such as motility or protection, and to
specialize in other functions, such as support, secretion, or contraction. A tissue
is a group of similar cells specialized for a particular function. In animals, there
are four main types: epithelium for protection; connective tissue for support,
storage, and other functions; muscle for contraction; and nervous tissue for the
conduction of nervous impulses and coordination. An organ is a structure, such
as the intestine, that contains several types of tissue organized to interact for a
general function, in this case digestion of food.

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

- Take a prepared slide of the cross section of intestine and view it under
low power.
- Note the hollow inner space, which is the lumen.
There are five or more layers of different tissues surrounding the lumen.
They are organized in sequence from the inner side into the mucosa,
submucosa, muscle, and the peritoneum. Study the cell types in each layer in
turn, using
Figure 5-3 as your guide.
1

Make a sketch of each cell type in the answer sheet provided in Figure 2 at
the end of this topic.

Columnar Epithelial Cells: These cells make up the inner layer of the mucosa.
They follow its highly folded inner surface and secrete mucus, enzymes, and
fluid into the lumen of the gut. Their specialty is protection and secretion.
Goblet Cells: These have large cuplike spaces facing the lumen of the gut and
are filled with the mucus, which they secrete. These cells are highly specialized
for secretion.
Connective Tissue Cells: These cells make up the bulk of the structure of the
submucosa. The dense connective tissue cells secrete collagen fibers that
support the other cells and the many blood vessels and lymph vessels that pass
through this layer. Since blood is a fluid connective tissue itself, the blood cells
within the vessels are another type of connective tissue cell specialized for
oxygen transport or defense against harmful organisms. There may also be some
adipose cells specialized for the storage of fat droplets. Smooth Muscle Cells:
These cells are specialized for contraction. You can see the darkly stained cell
nuclei. The muscle cells are in two layers: The cells of the inner layer (closer to
the lumen) have a spindle shape. They are oriented in rings so that they have
been cut in longitudinal section. The cells in the outer layer look like circles. They
are also spindle-shaped, but are oriented along the length of the intestine and so
have been cut in cross section. The two layers of muscle cells counteract each
other: If the inner layers contracts, the section of gut will become long and thin,
but if the outer layer contracts, the section will become short and fat.
Contraction is involuntary and is under the control of neurons contained in
nervous tissue.
Squamous Epithelial Cells: The peritoneum is the outermost layer of
cells and is only one cell layer thick. The cells are flattened and serve to protect
the outer surface of the intestine. The nuclei may be seen as small elevations.
The cells lining the blood vessels are also squamous epithelium.
What type of cells
_________________________

did

you

see

earlier

in

this

exercise?

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

IV. RESULT
1

Bacterium:

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

Name of specimen:

Name of specimen:

___________________________

_________________________________

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

Name of specimen:

Name of specimen:

___________________________

_________________________________

Figure 1. Sketches of cell types

Name of specimen:

Name of specimen:

___________________________

_________________________________

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

Name of specimen:

Name of specimen:

___________________________

_________________________________

Name of specimen:
_______________________________

Figure 2. Sketches of cells in Intestinal tissue

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

V. DISCUSSION:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

VI. CONCLUSION

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

ZOO05-Animal Physiology
2nd AY 2014-2015

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________