CELL ELL — STRUCTURE TRUCTURE AND AND FUNCTIONS
Y
ou have already learnt that things
around us are either living or
non-living. Further, you may
recall that all living organisms carry out
certain basic functions. Can you list
these functions?
Different sets of organs perform the
various functions you have listed. In this
chapter, you shall learn about the basic
structural unit of an organ, which is the
cell. Cells may be compared to bricks.
Bricks are assembled to make a building.
Similarly, cells are assembled to make
the body of every organism.
8.1 Discovery of the Cell :-
Robert Hooke in 1665 observed slices of
cork under a simple magnifying device.
Cork is a part of the bark of a
tree. He took thin slices of cork and
observed them under a microscope. He
noticed partitioned boxes or
compartments in the cork slice (Fig. 8.1).
These boxes appeared like a honey-
comb. He also noticed that one box was
separated from the other by a wall or
partition. Hooke coined the term ‘cell’
for each box. What Hooke observed as
boxes or cells in the cork were actually
dead cells.
Cells of living organisms could be
observed only after the discovery of
improved microscopes. Very little was
known about the cell for the next 150
years after Robert Hooke’s observations.
Today, we know a lot about cell
structure and its functions because of
improved microscopes having high
magnification.
 |
| Cork cells as observed by :- Robert Hooke |
|
|
The Cell. :-
Both, bricks in a building and cells in
the living organisms, are basic
structural units [Fig. 8.2(a), (b)]. The
buildings, though built of similar bricks,
have different designs, shapes and sizes.
Similarly, in the living world, organisms
differ from one another but all are made
up of cells. Cells in the living organisms
are complex living structures unlike
non-living bricks.
The egg of a hen represents a single
cell and is big enough to be seen by theunaided eye.
 |
| A Brick wall and onion peel |
 |
| A Brick wall and onion peel |
- Organisms show Variety in Cell Number, Shape and Size
How do scientists observe and study the
living cells? They use microscopes which
magnify objects. Stains (dyes) are used
to colour parts of the cell to study the
detailed structure.
There are millions of living organisms. They are of different shapes and sizes. Their organs also vary in shape, size and number of cells. Let us study about some of them.
Number of Cells :-
Can you guess the number of cells in a
tall tree or in a huge animal like the
elephant? The number runs into
billions and trillions. Human body has
trillions of cells which vary in shapes
and sizes. Different groups of cells
perform a variety of functions.
Note :- A billion is a thousand million. A
trillion is a thousand billion.
Organisms made of more than one
cell are called multicellular (multi :
many; cellular : cell) organisms. The
number of cells being less in smaller
organisms does not, in any way, affect
the functioning of the organisms. You
will be surprised to know that an
organism with billions of cells begins
life as a single cell which is the fertilised
egg. The fertilised egg cell multiplies and
the number of cells increase as
development proceeds.
Look at Fig (a) and (b). Both
organisms are made up of a single cell.
The single-celled organisms are called
unicellular (uni : one; cellular : cell)
 |
| (a) Amoeba |
 |
| (b) Paramecium |
organisms. A single-celled organism
performs all the necessary functions
that multicellular organisms perform.
A single-celled organism, like
amoeba, captures and digests food,
respires, excretes, grows and
reproduces. Similar functions in
multicellular organisms are carried out
by groups of specialised cells forming
different tissues. Tissues, in turn, form
organs.
Shape of Cells :-
Refer to Fig. How do you define
the shape of amoeba in the figure? You
may say that the shape appears
irregular. Infact, amoeba has no
definite shape, unlike other organisms.
It keeps on changing its shape.
Observe the projections of varying
lengths protruding out of its
body. These are called pseudopodia
(pseudo : false; podia : feet), as you
learnt in Class VII. These projections
appear and disappear as amoeba
moves or feeds.
A white blood cell (WBC) in human
blood is another example of a single cell
which can change its shape. But while
WBC is a cell, amoeba is a full fledged
organism capable of independent
existence.
What shape would you expect in
organisms with millions of cells? Fig.
shows different cells such
as blood, muscle and nerve of human
beings. The different shapes are related
to their specific functions.
Generally, cells are round, spherical
or elongated [Fig. 8.4(a)]. Some cells are
long and pointed at both ends. They
exhibit a spindle shape [Fig. 8.4(b)].
Cells sometimes are quite long. Some
are branched like the nerve cell or a
neuron [Fig. The nerve cell
receives and transfers messages, thereby
Spherical red blood cell |
Spindle
shaped muscle cells, |
 |
| Long branched nerve cell |
helping to control and coordinate the
working of different parts of the body.
Can you guess, which part of the cell
gives it shape? Components of the cell
are enclosed in a membrane. This
membrane provides shape to the cells
of plants and animals. Cell wall is an
additional covering over the cell
membrane in plant cells. It gives shape
and rigidity to these cells (Fig.
Bacterial cell also has a cell wall.
Size of Cells :-
The size of cells in living organisms may
be as small as a millionth of a metre
(micrometre or micron) or may be as large
as a few centimetres. However, most of the
cells are microscopic in size and are not
visible to the unaided eye. They need to
be enlarged or magnified by a microscope.
The smallest cell is 0.1 to 0.5 micrometre
in bacteria. The largest cell measuring
170 mm ×130 mm, is the egg of an ostrich
The size of the cells has no relation
with the size of the body of the animal or
plant. It is not necessary that the cells in
the elephant be much bigger than those
in a rat. The size of the cell is related to
its function. For example, nerve cells,
both in the elephant and rat, are long
and branched. They perform the same
function, that of transferring messages.
Cell Structure and
Function. :-
You have learnt that each living
organism has many organs. You have
studied in Class VII about the digestive
organs which together constitute the
digestive system. Each organ in the
system performs different functions
such as digestion, assimilation and
absorption. Similarly, different organs
of a plant perform specific/specialised
functions. For example, roots help in the
absorption of water and minerals.
Leaves, as you have learnt in Class VII,
are responsible for synthesis of food.
Each organ is further made up of
smaller parts called tissues. A tissue is
a group of similar cells performing a
specific function.
Paheli realised that an organ is made
up of tissues which in turn, are made
up of cells. The cell in a living organism
is the basic structural unit.
Parts of the Cell
Cell Membrane :-
The basic components of a cell are cell
membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus
(Fig.) The cytoplasm and nucleus
are enclosed within the cell membrane,
also called the plasma membrane. The
membrane separates cells from one
another and also the cell from the
surrounding medium. The plasma
membrane is porous and allows the
movement of substances or materials
both inward and outward.
The boundary of the onion cell is the
cell membrane covered by another thick
covering called the cell wall. The central
dense round body in the centre is called
the nucleus. The jelly-like substance
 |
| Cells observed in an onion peel |
between the nucleus and the cell
membrane is called cytoplasm.
You have learnt earlier that the cell
membrane gives shape to the cell. In
addition to the cell membrane, there is
an outer thick layer in cells of plants
called cell wall. This additional layer
surrounding the cell membrane is
required by plants for protection. Plant
cells need protection against variations
in temperature, high wind speed,
atmospheric moisture etc. They
are exposed to these variations
because they cannot move. Cells can
be observed in the leaf peel of
Tradescantia, Elodea or Rhoeo. You
can prepare a slide as in the case
of onion.
Paheli asks Boojho if he can also
observe animal cells.
 |
| Human cheek cells |
Cytoplasm :-
It is the jelly-like substance present
between the cell membrane and the
nucleus. Various other components, or
organelles, of cells are present in the
cytoplasm. These are mitochondria, golgi
bodies, ribosomes, etc. You will learn
about them in later classes.
Nucleus :-
It is an important component of the
living cell. It is generally spherical and
located in the centre of the cell. It can
be stained and seen easily with the help
of a microscope. Nucleus is separated
from the cytoplasm by a membrane
called the nuclear membrane. This
membrane is also porous and allows the
movement of materials between the
cytoplasm and the inside of the nucleus.
With a microscope of higher
magnification, we can see a smaller
spherical body in the nucleus. It is called
the nucleolus. In addition, nucleus
contains thread-like structures called
chromosomes. These carry genes and
help in inheritance or transfer of
characters from the parents to the
offspring. The chromosomes can be seen
only when the cell divides
Nucleus, in addition to its role in
inheritance, acts as control centre of the
activities of the cell. The entire content
of a living cell is known as protoplasm.
It includes the cytoplasm and the
nucleus. Protoplasm is called the living
substance of the cell.
While observing the onion cells
under the microscope, did you notice
any blank-looking structures in the
cytoplasm? It is called vacuole. It could
be single and big as in an onion cell.
Cheek cells have smaller vacuoles. Large
vacuoles are common in plant cells.
Vacuoles in animal cells are much
smaller.
You might have noticed several small
coloured bodies in the cytoplasm of the
cells of Tradescantia leaf. They are
scattered in the cytoplasm of the leaf
cells. These are called plastids. They are
of different colours. Some of them
contain green pigment called
chlorophyll. Green coloured plastids are
called chloroplasts. They provide green
colour to the leaves. You may recall that
chlorophyll in the chloroplasts of leaves,
is essential for photosynthesis.
About Gene :-
Gene is a unit of inheritance in living
organisms. It controls the transfer of
a hereditary characteristic from
parents to offspring. This means that
your parents pass some of their
characteristics on to you. If your father
has brown eyes, you may also have
brown eyes. If your mother has curly
hair, you might also end up having
curly hair. However, the different
combination of genes from parents
result in different characteristics.
The nucleus of the bacterial cell is
not well-organised like the cells of
multicellular organisms. There is no
nuclear membrane. The cells having
nuclear material without nuclear
membrane are termed prokaryotic
cells. The organisms with these kinds
of cells are called prokaryotes (pro :
primitive; karyon : nucleus). Examples
are bacteria and blue green algae. The
cells, like onion cells and cheek cells
having well-organised nucleus with
a nuclear membrane are designated
as eukaryotic cells. All organisms
other than bacteria and blue
green algae are called eukaryotes.
(eu : true; karyon: nucleus).
Comparison of Plant and
Animal Cells :-
If you recall Activities and you
should be able to compare plant and
animal cells. Observe the plant and
animal cell carefully in Fig.
Let us tabulate the similarities and
disinguishing features of plant and
animal cells. Only a few features are
mentioned. You may add more in
 |
| Plant cell Animal cell |
Comparison of Plant Cell and Animal Cell :-
Part :-. Plant cell. animal cell :- Cell membrane. Present. Present
Cell wall. Present. Absent
Nucleus
Nuclear membrane
Cytoplasm
Plastids
Vacuole
KEYWORDS :-
CELL
CELL MEMBRANE
CELL WALL
CHLOROPLAST
CHROMOSOME
CYTOPLASM
EUKARYOTES
GENE
MULTICELLULAR
NUCLEAR MEMBRANE
NUCLEOLUS
NUCLEUS
ORGAN
ORGANELLES
PLASMA MEMBRANE
PLASTID
PROKARYOTES
PSEUDOPODIA
TISSUE
UNICELLULAR
VACUOLE
WHITE BLOOD CELL
(WBC)
WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT. :-
- All organisms are made of smaller parts called organs.
- Organs are made of still smaller parts. The smallest living part of an organism is a ‘cell’.
- Cells were first observed in cork by Robert Hooke in 1665.
- Cells exhibit a variety of shapes and sizes.
- Number of cells also varies from organism to organism.
- Some cells are big enough to be seen with the unaided eye. Hen’s egg is an example.
- Some organisms are single-celled, while others contain large number of cells.
- The single cell of unicellular organisms performs all the basic functions performed by a variety of cells in multicellular organisms.
- The cell has three main parts: (i) the cell membrane, (ii) cytoplasm which contains smaller components called organelles, and (iii) the nucleus.
- Nucleus is separated from cytoplasm by a nuclear membrane.
- Cells without well-organised nucleus, i.e. lacking nuclear membrane, are called prokaryotic cells.
- Plant cells differ from animal cells in having an additional layer around the cell membrane termed cell wall.
- Coloured bodies called plastids are found in the plant cells only. Green plastids containing chlorophyll are called chloroplasts.
- Plant cell has a big central vacuole unlike a number of small vacuoles in animal cells.
Did You Know ?
The cells in the outermost layer of our skin are dead. An average adult carries around about 2 kg of dead skin. Billions of tiny fragments of the skin are lost every day. Every time you run your finger on a dusty table, you shed a lot of old skin.
