Introduction to Cells
In Biology 101, we discussed the various organic molecules that make up living organisms. In this tutorial, we will look at the cellular level of organisation of living things. Together with Robert Hooke's discoveries, van Leeuwenhoek's findings laid the ...
Introduction
"In the year of 1657 I discovered very small living creatures in rain water." — Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the Father of Microbiology on discovering cells. Together with Robert Hooke's discoveries, van Leeuwenhoek's findings laid the foundations of microbiology.
Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch businessman, scientist, and one of the notable representatives of the Golden Age of Dutch science and technology. Image credit: Public Domain
- The invention of microscopes allowed us to see life at the microscopic level.
- Cell walls are present in plants, bacteria and fungi and provide a rigid support structure.
- Cell membranes are semi-permeable and have a fluid rather than a fixed structure. Substances move across them by diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport and active transport.
- Cells contain organelles with structures adapted to perform specific functions within the cell.
- Cells differ in size, shape and structure in order to carry out specialised functions. Cells with similar structures and functions associate to form tissues.
- Plant and animal cells differ in many crucial ways.
In Biology 101, we discussed the various organic molecules that make up living organisms. In this tutorial, we will look at the cellular level of organisation of living things.
atom \(\rightarrow\) molecule \(\rightarrow\) cell \(\rightarrow\) tissue \(\rightarrow\) organ \(\rightarrow\) system \(\rightarrow\) organism \(\rightarrow\) ecosystem
This lesson is part of:
Introducing the Cell