CELL ORGANELLES

CHAPTER 5

There are two main types of divisions of cells depending upon their basic
and important difference in their structures. The types are:

 Prokaryotic (primitive cell)

 Eukaryotic (advanced type)
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell: The basic difference between the two is:
In prokaryotic, the nuclear material lies naked in cytoplasm that is no
special membrane is present that separates it from the cytoplasm. It is
present as such in cytoplasm.

In eukaryotic, the nuclear material is well protected and enclosed by

special membrane that is nuclear membrane .We can say in it the
nucleus is present.
Let us some up more difference in them.

Prokaryotic cell Eukaryotic cell

Small in size Large in size

Nuclear material lies naked in Nuclear material is surrounded by
cytoplasm nuclear membrane
Contain single chromosome Contain more than one
chromosome
Organelles absent
Organelles presents
Nucleolus absent
Nucleolus present
Cell division by fission etc
Cell division by mitosis or meiosis.
Eg : bacteria blue green algae etc.
Eg. Man etc.
 Cell organelles and their functions
There are many types of organelles that help the cell in performing
different functions. The different organelles are :
Endoplasmic reticulum

 Ribosome
 Golgi bodies
 Lysosomes
 Mitochondria
 Plastids

 Mitochondria

 Plastids

 Vacuole

 Centrosome

Let us study them in detail:

1. Endoplasmic reticulum

It is an irregular network of membranes enclosing fluid in its

cavity .they is of two types that is:

 Rough endoplasmic reticulum(RER)

 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum(SER)

The basic difference between the two is that:

 RER - It has ribosomes attached to it.

 SER : - No ribosome are attached

Functions of endoplasmic reticulum are as follows -

 SER helps in synthesizing fats etc.

 Endoplasmic reticulum forms skeleton framework of cell.

 Rough endoplasmic reticulum helps in transportation of proteins.

 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum helps in detoxification.
 Oxidative enzymes of lysosomes are produced by Rough
endoplasmic reticulum.
 Endoplasmic reticulum helps in formation of membrane of
cell .That is :
RER – SER – Golgi body – sec. vesicles – p membrane

2. Ribosome

They are present in plant as well as in animal cell. They are spherical
particles found free or attached to Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum.
They contain their own genetic material that is RNA & proteins .Their
function is protein synthesis. Due to the reason they are called as
factory of proteins.
3. Golgi bodies
This organelle is present in plant and animal cells both. They are
membrane bound fluid filled vesicles and flattened membranes stacked
over one another called cisternae. In plant cells it is called by a special
name that is Dictyosome.
Function: They secrete, packages and dispatch the cellular secretions
and also helps in the formation of cell membrane.
 [Link]
They are present in plant as well as in animal cell. They are membrane
bound vesicle containing powerful digestive enzymes. These enzymes
can carry out the catabolic function
Function: Its functions are:

 They can destroy foreign material.

 They can remove worn out parts of the cell.
It acts as suicidal bags as they can even eat up their own cells if in case
it gets damaged.

5. Mitochondria
They are rod shaped structures having a double membrane.
Its outer membrane is – porous
Its inner membrane is folded to form cristae & contain small bodies
called oxysomes.
It has a cavity that is filled with matrix (fluid) containing DNA and
ribosomes.
Its function is to produce energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine
triphosphate) and is also designated as called as Power House of cell (due to production
of energy).
 6. Plastids
These are only found in plant cells. They are of three types: -

 Leucoplast – It is colorless plastid.

 Chromoplast – It is colored plastid.
 Chloroplast –It is green colored plastid.
As you all know that plants have the ability to synthesize their own food.
They do so with the help of pigment chlorophyll. This chlorophyll is
present in organelle chloroplast.
Chloroplasts are double membrane organelles containing liquid stoma
and stacked structures called lamellae. When lamellae are stacked over
one another they give rise to grana. Grana contain green pigment
chlorophyll. This chlorophyll actually helps in capturing solar energy and
converting it to chemical energy of food.
Functions of plastids are as follows -

 Chloroplast helps in photosynthesis

 Leucoplast – stores food, fats etc.
 Chromoplast impart colour to flowers.
7. Vacuole

What are Vacuoles?

The term “vacuole” means “empty space”. They help in the
storage and disposal of various substances. They can store
food or other nutrients required by a cell to survive. They also
store waste products and prevent the entire cell from
contamination.
The vacuoles in plant cells are larger than those in the animal
cells. The plant vacuoles occupy more than 80% of the volume
of the cell. The vacuoles may be one or more in number.
Structure of Vacuole
A vacuole is a double membrane structure found in the
cytoplasmic matrix of a cell. The membrane surrounding the
vacuole is known as tonoplast. The components of the vacuole,
known as the cell sap, differ from that of the surrounding
cytoplasm. The membranes are composed of phospholipids.
The membranes are embedded with proteins that help in
transporting molecules across the membrane. Different
combinations of these proteins help the vacuoles to hold
different materials.

Why do plant cells have larger vacuoles?

The plant cells have larger vacuoles because they require more water,
organic and inorganic components for the proper functioning of the
cell.

Why are vacuoles an important cell organelle?

 Vacuoles store nutrients and water on which a cell can rely for its
survival. They also store the waste from the cell and prevents the cell
from contamination. Hence, is an important organelle.

They are fluid filled membrane bound spaces. They are prominent and
large in plants but in animal cell they are either absent or if present they
are small and temporary. In animal cell it helps in storing substances.
In plant cell vacuole are large & permanent. Outer membrane is called
as tonoplast and is filled with fluid called cell sap
Functions of vacuole are as follows-

 It provides turgidity & rigidity to cell.

 It stores substances.

 It maintains the osmotic pressure of cell.

8. Centrosome
It is found only in animal cell. It consists of two granules called
centrioles. The function of centrioles is to help in spindle formation
during cell division.
entriole is an organelle, cylindrical in shape, that is composed of
a protein called tubulin.”

What is Centriole?
All animal cells have two centrioles. They help the cell during
cell division. They work during the process of mitosis and
meiosis. They could be found in some lower plants such as
 Chlamydomonas, although they are not present in many of the
fungi, angiosperms (flowering plants) and pinophyta (conifers).
They are usually present near the nucleus but are not visible
when the cell is not dividing.
What is the role of a centriole in a cell?
The centriole is concerned with the cell division. They help in
the formation of spindle fibres that separate the chromosomes
during the cell cycle.

Transportation of substances
As we have seen that substances move in and out from the cell.
These exchange mainly occur by two processes:

 Diffusion

 Osmosis
Diffusion and Osmosis
Diffusion: It is the movement of any substance from higher concentration
to lower concentration.
Have you noticed the fragrance of your favorite food at your home when
it surprisingly cooked for you by your mom.
This is due to the process diffusion. When it is being cooked in kitchen
its fragrant molecules from kitchen start moving out into the kitchen’s
surroundings and with time get dispersed in the air .

 The diffusion is seen in solids, liquids and gases but the rate of
diffusion is faster in gases. This is because gas particles are
 energetic as they possess high kinetic energy. The movement of
gases in and out from the cell occurs by diffusion.
 Osmosis: It is the movement of pure liquid from higher
concentration to lower concentration across the semipermeable
membrane .


For example: if you take two flasks and fill one with low sugar so lution
and other flask with highly concentrated sugar solution. Both the beakers
are separated by a semipermeable membrane. Then we will notice that
the water will move from the beaker where it is more to the side where it
is less. The membrane allows only water to pass through it not sugar as
it is semi-permeable that is selectively permeable.

Types of solutions

We can make three different types of solutions that is :

i. Hypotonic solution - The solution that has higher water

concentration.
ii. Hypertonic solution- The solution that has less water
concentration.
iii. Isotonic solution-The solution that has the same concentration of
water as in cell.
Now let’s do an activity in which we will be placing a cell say red blood
cell in three different solutions. Let’s see what happens:

Cells placed in different types of solutions

Have you seen that Red blood cell in hypotonic solution looks turgid?

Have you seen that Red blood cell in hypotonic solution looks turgid?

This is because when it is placed in a hypotonic solution, the water from

solution moves into cell (endo-osmosis) due to which cell starts swelling
up .The fully swollen cell in which the protoplasm almost touches the cell
membrane is called Turgid cell.
Have you seen the red blood cell kept in hypertonic solution looks flaccid

This is because when it is placed in a hypertonic solution, the water from

cell moves into solution (exo-osmosis) occurs due to which cell starts
shrinking up .The cell whose protoplasm almost gets shrunk is called
flaccid cell.

Have you seen the cell in isotonic solution

It remains as such. Nothing happens. The reason being the
concentration of cell and a solution is the same.
Q. Have you noticed that sometimes when you forget to water plants
especially in summers they droop, dry and ultimately they are about to
die .
A. This is because the water from the plant is moving out due to
transpiration. So, when there is no water left in them they start to droop.
This basically occurs due to exo-osmosis. But when it is watered again,
the endo osmosis occurs and it again become turgid .this is called
plasmolysis (shrinkage) and deplasmolysis (again becoming healthier).

NCERT book solutions

Q1. Who discovered cell and how?
Ans: Robert Hooke, in 1665 discovered cell in thin slices of cork under
the microscope. He observed that cork resembles the structure of
honeycomb consisting of many compartments and that are called cells.
Q2. Why cell is called structural and functional unit of life?
Ans: Cells are arranged in proper systematic order to form a living
organism thus we say cell serves as a building block for organisms.
Cells are also called functional unit because all the metabolic activities of
life takes place at the cell level.
Q3. How do substances like carbon dioxide and water move in and out
from the cell?
Ans: They move in or out of the cell by the process of diffusion. There is
spontaneous movement of substances from higher concentration to
lower concentration. When this movement involves use of semi
permeable membrane then it is called osmosis.

Q5. How Amoeba obtains its food?

Ans: Amoeba obtains its food by pseudopodia.
The plasma membrane of amoeba is flexible and enables the cell to
engulf the food and form a cup shaped structure called pseudopodia by
the process of endocytosis.
Q6. Differentiate between plant cells and animal cells ?
Plant cell Animal cell

1. It has a cell wall made up of cellulose 1. It doesn’t have cell wall

2. It has plastids 2. It lack plastids

3. The vacuole is of large size 3. The vacuole is either absent and if

present then it is of small size
 4. Centrosome absent 4. Centrosome present

5. The food is stored in the form of starch 5. The food is stored in the form of
and glycogen glycogen

Q7. Can you name two organelles that have their own genetic material?
Ans: Chloroplast and Mitochondria
Q8. If the organization of cell is destroyed due to some physical or
chemical influence, what would happen?
Ans: If the organization of cell is destroyed due to some physical or
chemical influence, Cell will die.
Q9. Why are lysosomes called suicidal bags?
Ans: Lysosomes are called suicidal bags because they can eat up their
own cell if in case it gets damaged.
Q10. Where protein synthesis occurs in the cell?
Ans: Protein synthesis occurs in Ribosome.
Q11. What would happen if cell doesn’t have Golgi bodies?
Ans: The Golgi body helps in secretion, packaging and dispatching of
cellular secretion. If it is not present then his will not occur.
Q12. Which organelle is called as power house of cell and why?
Ans: Mitochondria is called so because in it oxidation of food occurs and
it produces energy in the form of ATP.
Q13. Where do lipids and proteins constituting the cell membrane get
synthesized?
Ans: Proteins are made by ribosome and lipids by SER.
Q14. What is osmosis?
Ans: It is the movement of water from higher concentration to lower
concentration across the semi permeablemembrane.
Q15. Carry out the following experiment:
Take four peeled potato halves and hollow each one out to make potato
cups .One of these cups should be made from a boiled potato .Put each
potato cup in a trough containing water .Now,

 Keep cup A empty

 Put one teaspoon sugar in cup B
 Put one teaspoon salt in cup C
 Put one teaspoon sugar in boiled potato cup D
Keep the set up for 2 hours and observe four potato cups and answer:

 Explain why water gathers in the hollowed portion of B and C.

 Why is the potato a necessary for this experiment?
 Explain why water doesn’t gather in hollowed portions of potato A and D.
 The water gathers in hollowed portion of potato cups B and C due to
osmosis.
 Cup A acts as control experiment and indicates that cavity of potato will
not induce any type of movement.
 Cup A does not contain hypertonic solution hence water does not rise .In
cup D, cells of potato cup being boiled cells are dead and no osmosis
occurs.