Cell specialisation Flashcards – AQA GCSE Biology - Foundation (8461)

What makes a cell in a complex multicellular organism specialised?

Its features are suited to a particular function, for example its shape or the abundance or arrangement of its cell structures.

How should you explain a specialised cell’s adaptation?

Link a specific feature of the cell to how it helps the cell perform its function.

What does cell specialisation mean for the roles of cells within and across organisms?

Different cells carry out particular functions rather than all performing the same function.

What is the function of ciliated cells in the trachea and bronchi?

They move mucus.

What is the function of root hair cells?

They absorb substances from their surroundings.

What is the function of palisade mesophyll cells?

They carry out photosynthesis.

What is the function of neurones?

They conduct electrical impulses.

What is the function of red blood cells?

They transport oxygen.

What role do sperm and egg cells have?

They are gametes involved in reproduction.

How does a sperm cell's tail help it reach an egg?

It enables the sperm to swim through fluid toward the egg.

How do mitochondria support sperm movement?

They carry out respiration, releasing energy for the tail to beat.

How does the acrosome help a sperm fertilise an egg?

This cap on the sperm head contains enzymes that digest the egg's outer layers, allowing the sperm nucleus to enter.

What does it mean that a sperm nucleus is haploid?

It contains one set of chromosomes, rather than the two sets found in body cells.

Why is it important that the sperm nucleus is haploid?

It combines with the egg's haploid nucleus to restore the normal diploid number in the fertilised egg.