Cells and Tissues 1

growing
point leaf

bud 0.02cm
stem

Biophoto Associates
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Cutting sections
The slice of tissue must be only 0.01-0.1 mm
thick if cells are to be seen clearly
Thin slices of plant tissue can be made by hand
using a sharp razor blade
The slices are called sections
Special apparatus and techniques are needed to
make very thin sections
The next slide shows the difference between a
transverse and a longitudinal section
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Cutting sections

Transverse section Longitudinal section

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A group of cells from
animal tissue
cell
cytoplasm membrane nucleus
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Cytoplasm
The cytoplasm is a living, semi-
liquid material
cytoplasm

Although it looks structureless

it contains many structures
which are not visible at this
magnification

All the processes which keep

the cell alive, take place in the
cytoplasm or nucleus
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Nucleus
The nucleus is a specialised region
of cytoplasm which regulates all nucleus
the chemical changes which take
place in the cytoplasm

It sends chemical signals to the

cytoplasm which start or stop the
chemical processes going on in it

The nucleus also controls cell division

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Cell membrane
The cell membrane encloses the
cytoplasm and stops it flowing out

It also controls which substances

can get into and out of the cell

It is only about 0.00001mm thick

If it is damaged, the cell will die cell

membrane
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Cells from the cheek lining

cytoplasm

nucleus

cell membrane

Biophoto Associates
0.01mm
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Plant cells
nucleus

cytoplasm

vacuole
cell
wall

Plant cells differ from animal cells in having a cell wall

outside the cell membrane, and a large, fluid-filled vacuole
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Chloroplasts
0.2mm
vacuole

chloroplast

cell
wall

Biophoto Associates

Cells from the green parts of plants, such as leaves, contain

chloroplasts.
The chloroplasts are always in the cytoplasm
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Cells are 3-dimensional

cell cytoplasm
wall

nucleus

Cells seen in sections look flat, 2-dimensional. This is

misleading and the picture shows how three plant cells
might look if you could see them in 3 dimensions
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Structure of a leaf cell
cell wall
Longitudinal
cell section
membrane

cytoplasm
vacuole
Transverse
section nucleus

The diagram shows how a 3-dimensional leaf cell would

appear in transverse and longitudinal section
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Plant and animal cells

All cells have cytoplasm, a nucleus and a
cell membrane.

Plant cells have also a cell wall, a central

vacuole and in many cases, chloroplasts.

Animal cells do not have these structures

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Plant cells Animal cells

Cytoplasm Cytoplasm

Nucleus Nucleus

Cell membrane Cell membrane

Cell wall

Chloroplasts
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Organs, cells and tissues

The stomach is an
organ, part of the
digestive system

The stomach wall contains

The muscle tissue muscle tissue
consists of muscle cells
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Self test
The following slides contain questions with
alternative answers, only one of which is
correct. Click on the button next to your
answer to see if it is correct.
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Question 1
Which of these structures controls cell
division?
Cytoplasm
Nucleus
Cell membrane
Cell wall
 18

Question 2
In a plant cell, which of these describes the
vacuole?
A semi-liquid living material
A specialized region of cytoplasm
A region containing chloroplasts
A solution of salts and sugars
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Question 3
The cell structure which controls the entry or
exit of substances is
the nucleus
The cell wall
The cell membrane
The cytoplasm
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Question 4
Which one of these statements is correct?

Plant cells do not have cell walls

Plant cells have no vacuoles

Plant cells have nuclei

All plant cells have chloroplasts

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Answer

Incorrect
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Answer

Correct