Cell: The Basic Unit of Life

1. Cell: The Basic Unit of Life Story Notes

2. Introduction and What is A Cell? • Everything is composed of living cells. • Cells are chemical factories that use energy from food, take in raw materials, produce and exchange gases, grow, need water, eliminate waste materials, and reproduce themselves.

3. Prokaryotic Cells • Prokaryotic cells are those without a nucleus that live alone as single celled organisms. • Bacteria are single celled organisms from the kingdom Monera. • Bacteria are filled with cell liquid, cytoplasm, but don’t have organized internal structures. • Some bacteria get energy by producing their own food through photosynthesis. • Others take and soak up chemicals from the environment. • Prokaryotic cells have cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall (some), and ribosomes.

4. A Cell With A Nucleus • Eukaryotic cells have organized structures inside the cell including a cell nucleus which directs the activities of the cell. • Organelles, the organized structures inside the cell, have specific jobs to perform. • The structures inside are the nucleus, chloroplast, mitochondrion, cell wall (some), cytoplasm, cell membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, and vacuoles. • Protista live in water but are more complex and bigger than bacteria. • Plant, animals, and all other cells except bacteria are eukaryotic cells.

5. Cells Invade the Land and Aquatic Life on Dry Land • To keep cells alive, organisms that live out of water have ways to keep their cells wet. • The cell wall helps to hold water inside the cell. • The water supply is refreshed by drinking liquids and eating foods that contain water. • Life can be considered aquatic because life happens in our cells. All cells are aquatic and are in constant contact with our blood.

6. CELLS • Prokaryotic Cells- cells without a nucleus that live as single celled organisms • Bacteria are prokaryotic • Eukaryotic Cells- have a nucleus and other organized structures • Plants, animals, and all other cells besides bacteria are eukaryotic

7. All life is considered aquatic because life happens in cells and all cells need water to survive.

8. Vocabulary • Cytoplasm- liquid all cells are filled with • Photosynthesis- process of producing own food • Monera- bacteria are single celled organisms from this kingdom • Protista- live in water, but are more complex and bigger than bacteria

9. Cell Wall- helps hold water inside the cell • Nucleus- the “brain” of the cell • Mitochondria- place where energy production occurs

10. The only parts that are in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are cell membrane, cytoplasm, and ribosomes.