none
Introduction
Rich sticky notes
All about the plant cell :)
This site is here to help you learn about the plant cell!
Please click the tabs above to navigate through the different pages.
Be sure to use the scroll bar when necessary. Many of the pages have more widgets underneath others on the page.
Chris Farmer
Doug Kiss
Christie Rockwell
Pat White
pd. 3
Overview
Bookmarks
Bookmarks
Photos
Diagram of a Plant Cell
Discovery
Rich sticky notes
Who?
In 1665, Robert Hooke examined a thin slice of a cork under a microscope. He saw that it was made of thousands of tiny chambers. These chambers reminded him of the tiny rooms in a monastery, called cells.
Photos
Robert Hooke
One of Hooke's drawings
Robert Hooke's drawing of cork cells
Cork Tree
Chloroplasts
Rich sticky notes
What are they?
Chloroplasts are lima bean shaped organelles that assist with photosynthesis. There can be several hundred chloroplasts in one cell. Chloroplasts are extremely important organelles, and the more a cell has, the healthier and more efficient the plant is.
Chloroplasts are what give plants their green color.
Photos
Inside of a chloroplast
Image of an actual plant cell
Transportation and Modification
Rich sticky notes
Lysosomes
Lysosomes are formed by the Golgi Apparatus. They are made of pieces of membranes, vacuoles, and granules with mitochondria inside.
They contain enzymes that breakdown materials things in the cell. Lysosomes also manufacture the endoplasmic reticulum.
Golgi Apparatus
The Golgi Apparatus acts as a UPS system for the cell. There are around 2-6 in a cell.
The Golgi Apparatus sorts, modifies, and packages proteins and other materials from the endoplasmic reticulum for storage in the cell or secretion outside the cell.
Vesicles
A vesicle is a small and enclosed compartment within a cell. There is only 1 in each cell and it transports protein around.
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and Ribosomes
The endoplasmic reticulum translates proteins and transports items throughout the cell.
Rough ER & Ribosomes:
The ribosomes exist on the Rough ER and are also scattered througout the cytoplasm. Ribosomes assemble proteins and polypeptides for cell division.
The lines in the image to the left are pointing to ribosomes.
Smooth ER:
Smooth ER contains collections of enzymes that perform specialized tasks, including the synthesis of membrane lipids and the detoxification of drugs.
Microtubules
Microtubules serve as structural components within cells and are involved in many cellular processes including mitosis, cytokinesis, and vescular transport.
Microtubules help support and shape the cell. They are sued as routes so organelles can move. They are usually found in all eukaryotic cells.
Photos
Lysosome
Golgi Apparatus
Rough ER with Ribosomes
Smooth ER
Genetic Information
Rich sticky notes
Nucleus
The nucleus of the plant cell is on the inside of the plant cell in most opinions is the brain and power behind the cell. The nucleus holds the DNA and protein.
Nucleolus
The nucleolus is a sub-organelle of the cell nucleus though itself is a nucleus. The nucleolus is responsible for the production and the assembly of the ribosomes. It is round and surrounded by a layer of chromatin.
Chromosomes
Chromosomes hold a very long continuous DNA strand and they contain genes and regulatory functions. The chromosomes are located inside the cell.
Mitochondria
The Mitochondria holds the DNA and the RNA of the plant cell. There are hundreds of mitochondria in a plant cell and it also converts glucose into energy.
Photos
Inside the nucleus
Chromosomes
Inside of a mitochondrion
Support System
Rich sticky notes
Cell wall
The cell wall is a fairly rigid layer surrounding a cell, located external to the cell membrane, which provides the cell with structural support, protection, and acts as a filtering mechanism.
Cell membrane
The cell membrane is a lipid bilayer that contains a wide variety of molecules mostly proteins and lipids. It surrounds the cytoplasm of a cell, and physically separates the inner cellular components from the outter cellular enviroment.
Cytoplasm
Cytoplasm is a semi-transparent fluid that fills most cells. Cell expansion, growth and replication are carried out in the cytoplasm of the cell.
Vacuole
There is one vacuole in a plant cell. It is a support structure for the cell.
Photos
Diagram of the cell wall
Vacuoles in multiple cells
As you can see, the vacuole takes up a lot of room in each plant cell.
Credits
Rich sticky notes
Credits
Miller, Kenneth R., and Joseph Levine. Biology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004.
"Chapter 1: An Owner's Guide to the Cell." National Institute of General Medical. 2005. 03 Nov 2007 <http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidethecell/chapter1.html >.
"Robert Hooke." Cornell University: KMODDL. 03 Nov 2007 <http://kmoddl.library.cornell.edu/biographies/Hooke/>.
Boon, Tony. "Cork Tree." Tony Boon. 04 12 2006. 03 Nov 2007 <http://www.tonyboon.co.uk/imgs/pages/corktree.htm>.
"Cell Anatomy." Cellupedia. 04 Nov 2007 <http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/cell_wall.html>.
Waggoner, Ben. "Robert Hooke." 04 Nov 2007 <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/hooke.html>.
"Chromosomes." 11 Nov 2007 <http://library.thinkquest.org/16985/chromosomesmain.htm>.
