Skill:
• Interpretation of electron micrographs to identify organelles and deduce the function of specialised cells
A micrograph is a photo or digital image taken through a microscope to show a magnified image of a specimen
While organelles have identifying structures, specific shapes may vary depending on the location of cross-sections
Prokaryotic Cell Features
Feature: none nucleoid cell wall pili flagella all
Eukaryotic Cell Features
Feature: none nucleus ER mitochondria golgi chloroplast cell wall vacuole all
Organelles (click on image to display false colour)
Attempts can be made to deduce cell function based on the relative abundance of various organelles:
- Mitochondria – Cells with many mitochondria typically undertake energy-consuming processes (e.g. neurons, muscle cells)
- ER – Cells with extensive ER networks undertake secretory activities (e.g. plasma cells, exocrine gland cells)
- Lysosomes – Cells rich in lysosomes tend to undertake digestive processes (e.g. phagocytes)
- Chloroplasts – Cells with chloroplasts undergo photosynthesis (e.g. plant leaf tissue but not root tissue)