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CELL Introduction Notes

Cells are the fundamental units of life, capable of independent existence and performing essential functions like nutrition and reproduction. The Cell Theory states that all living organisms are made of cells, which are the basic units of structure and function, and that all cells arise from preexisting cells. The document also outlines the history of cell discovery and highlights the variation in cell size, shape, and number across different organisms.

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5 views1 page

CELL Introduction Notes

Cells are the fundamental units of life, capable of independent existence and performing essential functions like nutrition and reproduction. The Cell Theory states that all living organisms are made of cells, which are the basic units of structure and function, and that all cells arise from preexisting cells. The document also outlines the history of cell discovery and highlights the variation in cell size, shape, and number across different organisms.

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CELL

Cell is called the fundamental unit of life. A cell is capable of independent existence and can carry out all the functions
which are necessary for a living being. A cell carries out nutrition, respiration, excretion, transportation and reproduction,
the way an individual organism does. Unicellular organisms are capable of independent existence which shows a cell’s
capability to exist independently. Due to this, a cell is called the fundamental and structural unit of life. All living beings
are composed of the basic unit of life, i.e. cell.
CELL THEORY (Schleiden, Schwann and Virchow)
• All living organisms are composed of one or more cells.
• The cell is the basic unit of structure, function, and organization in all organisms.
• All cells come from preexisting, living cells.
HISTORY OF DISCOVERY OF CELLS
Robert Hooke was the first to discover cells. (1665).
Leeuwenhoek was the first to discover free living cells in pond water (1674).
Robert Brown discovered the nucleus (1831).
Purkinje coined the term ‘protoplasm (1839).
Schleiden, German Botanist (1838) and Schwann, German Zoologist (1839) proposed the Cell Theory. Rudolph Virchow
(1855) made further in addition to the cell theory.
The discovery of electron microscope by Knoll & Ruska,Russian (1931) made it possible to study the structures of cell
organelles.
CELL SIZE, SHAPE AND NUMBER
There is much variation in size, shape and number of cells in different organisms, and also in various parts of the body.
Most of the cells are only a few micrometers in diameter and are visible only with the help of a microscope.
1µ (micrometer = 10-6 m), 1A0 [Angstrom]=10-10 m; 1nm [nanometer]=10-9 m; 1 pm[picometer]=10-12 m
Cells may be spherical, spindle shaped, elongated, polyhedral or irregular in shape. The shape of the cells is determined
by the specific function they perform.
The number of cells is related to the size of the organ or body. Thus, small organisms have limited number of cells, while
the larger ones such as elephants, whales or banyan trees have countless numbers of cells.
Some organisms can also have cells of different kinds.

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