Concepts Review: Functions of Cellular Activity

Question 1 I.) What is a cell, and what does it do?

Answer: The cell is the basic unit of structure and function in living things. The cell enables a living thing to stay alive and reproduce.

Question 2 II.) What type of actions do cells perform?

Answer: Cells perform actions like getting oxygen, getting rid of wastes, get food and growing.

Question 3 III.) What are the life functions that cells perform?

Answer: The life functions performed by cells include movement, nutrition, excretion, synthesis, respiration, regulation (or sensitivity), growth, and reproduction. Cells must perform all of the same functions as organisms in order to stay alive

Question 4 IV.) Why does a cell need water to survive?

Answer: Water is one of the most important non-living resources that all organisms need for their environment. It helps provide the structural support that cells need to interact with each other. Water is extremely important to a cell in that it carries nutrients to cells. Cells than can convert nutrients into energy. Cells use this energy to perform specialized specific functions. For example, muscle cells need energy to move limbs, and nerve cells in the eye need energy to send visual cues to the brain.

Question 5 V.) What would occur if cells were not able to grow and reproduce?

Answer: DEATH!!!

Question 6 VI.) What is Homeostasis? How does the body maintain homeostasis?

Answer: Homeostasis is the tendency of a cell to maintain the conditions necessary for survival. For example, homeostasis helps a cell maintain a stable temperature and the proper amount of water. Cellular respiration is the process that transforms chemical energy into other types of energy needed for life. In animal cells, respiration occurs when the cells break down carbohydrates. For example, in muscle cells, the chemical energy stored in carbohydrates is changed into mechanical energy used for movement. It is also changed into heat energy, which is given off as waste. Plant cells also perform cellular respiration, as they convert glucose (sugar) into energy. Unlike animal cells that obtain carbohydrates from outside sources, plant cells make their own carbohydrates. This process is called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, light energy is transformed into the chemical energy stored in carbohydrates

Question 7 VII.) How is a cell able to move particles from areas of higher concentrations, to areas of lower concentrations?

Answer: By the Process of Diffusion

Question 8 VIII.) What type of transport do you think is most reliable (active or passive transport)? Explain your reasoning?

Answer: Passive transport is when there is no cellular energy used to move materials into/out of the cell (diffusion or osmosis). Active transport is required when a cell needs to use its own energy to move materials through the cell membrane.

Videos: I.) Life Processes & Cells – Key Stage 3 Biology (youtube app) II.) In Da Club – Membranes and Transport: Crash Course (Youtube app) III.) Eukaryopolis – The City of Animal Cells: Crash Course (Youtube app) IV.) Plant Cells: Crash Course (Youtube app)

Reading Passages: I.) My Cells, My Neighborhood (discovery education) II.) Water (discovery education) III.) Cell Labeling and Answering Questions Activity: website –