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SZL 111 - Module 03 Lecture Notes - Section 3.1 - Definition - Size - Shape - Number of Cells

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12 views3 pages

SZL 111 - Module 03 Lecture Notes - Section 3.1 - Definition - Size - Shape - Number of Cells

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onyangowilbrod95
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MODULE 03: ANIMAL CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

3.1 The animal cell: Number of cells, size and shape


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Learning outcomes
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
i) Define unicellular and multicellular animal cells
ii) Illustrate the relation between cell size and cell number in animals
iii) Explain how the shape of cells relates to their function in organisms

A Introduction to the animal cell


As we know, the cell is the basic structural and functional unit of every living organism. As brick is to the
building, the cell is to the body. The cell makes anything alive and enables a living organism to perform
all its functions. It is self-sufficient to carry out all the fundamental functions of an organism. Robert
Hooke is the first researcher to observe a cell using a magnifying device. Yes, cells are too tiny to see with
our naked eyes. But not every cell is microscopic. Within our body, we can observe a variety of cells of
different shapes and sizes. Let’s discuss more, the number and the variety of shapes and sizes of cells in
different organisms.

B Number of Cells

Cells are the lowest level of organization in every life form. From organism to organism, the count of the
cell may vary. Humans have more cells than bacteria. If an organism is made up of a single cell, it is
called a unicellular organism (uni: one; cellular: cell). Whereas, the organisms which are made up of more
than one cell are called multicellular organisms (multi: many; cellular: cell) (Figure 1). Among
multicellular organisms, the count of the cell varies. Some might have billions of cells while others have
trillions (like the human). But every organism starts its life from a single cell which further divides into
thousands and millions. As the size of the organism increases so does the number of cells that they have.
However, this count will not determine the efficiency of an organism i.e., the function and efficiency of a
cell in a unicellular organism and multicellular organism will be the same.

Figure 1: Unicellular and multicellular cells

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C Cell Size
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At 0.1 to 5.0 μm in diameter, prokaryotic cells are significantly smaller than eukaryotic cells, which have
diameters ranging from 10 to 100 μm (Figure 2). The small size of prokaryotes allows ions and organic
molecules that enter them to quickly diffuse to other parts of the cell. Similarly, any wastes produced
within a prokaryotic cell can quickly diffuse out. This is not the case in eukaryotic cells, which have
developed different structural adaptations to enhance intracellular transport. Figure 2 shows relative sizes
of microbes on a logarithmic scale (recall that each unit of increase in a logarithmic scale represents a 10-
fold increase in the quantity being measured).

Figure 2: Relative sizes of microbes


on a logarithmic scale

Small size, in general, is necessary for all cells, whether prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Let’s examine why that
is so. First, we’ll consider the area and volume of a typical cell. Not all cells are spherical in shape, but
most tend to approximate a sphere. You may remember from your high school geometry course that the
formula for the surface area of a sphere is 4πr2, while the formula for its volume is 4πr3/3. Thus, as the
radius of a cell increases, its surface area increases as the square of its radius, but its volume increases as
the cube of its radius (much more rapidly).
Therefore, as a cell increases in size, its surface area-to-volume ratio decreases. This same principle would
apply if the cell had the shape of a cube. If the cell grows too large, the plasma membrane will not have
sufficient surface area to support the rate of diffusion required for the increased volume. In other words, as
a cell grows, it becomes less efficient. One way to become more efficient is to divide; another way is to
develop organelles that perform specific tasks. These adaptations lead to the development of more
sophisticated cells called eukaryotic cells.

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Art Connection
Notice that as a cell increases in size, its surface area-to-volume ratio decreases. When there is insufficient surface
area to support a cell’s increasing volume, a cell will either divide or die.

Figure 3: Size of a cell

In Figure 3, the cell on the left has a volume of 1 mm3 and a surface area of 6 mm2, with a surface area-to-volume
ratio of 6 to 1, whereas the cell on the right has a volume of 8 mm3 and a surface area of 24 mm2, with a surface
area-to-volume ratio of 3 to 1.

D Cell Shapes
Living organisms are made up of different types of cells, of different shapes. A unicellular organism
differs in shape from another unicellular organism. Within a multicellular organism, there are a variety of
cells. Some are long while others are short; some are circular while some are oval (Figure 4). Shape and
size vary from cell to cell according to their functions and composition. For example, a nerve cell is long
and branched, meant for the transmission of signals throughout our body while a muscle cell is small and
spindle-shaped which helps in movement.

Considering an animal cell, we can generalize the


shape of a cell as round (spherical) or irregular.
Plant cells are much more rigid and rectangular in
shape. Whether regular or irregular in shape, they
all consist of the same organelles and help us to
perform the daily activities efficiently.
Figure 4: Size and shape of cells

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