Cell Dynamics Study Guide!
Guiding Question:
How is the structure of the cell and its plasma membrane related to its functions, both in the cell and in the body?
Cells and Organelles
 Know the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
 Be able to describe the similarities that all eukaryotic cells share and, in contrast, the organelles that
only plant or animal cells contain.
 Understand the role that each organelle plays, to the extent that you could analogize these to roles
played within something else (a city, a castle, etc.).
 Be able to idenfify organelles in pictures of plant or animal cells.
Membrane Structure & Function: Diffusion & Osmosis
 Explain what is meant by selective permeability.
 Recognize that all single-membrane-bound organelles are part of the endomembrane system (ER,
vacuoles, Golgi, etc.) and know the path a protein follows in that system.
 Compare membrane proteins to enzymes (specificity).
 Know the terms concentration gradient, hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic (dynamic equilibrium).
 Explain the spontaneous process of diffusion (why/how does it happen?).
 Compare simple diffusion to facilitated diffusion.
 Know what types of substances can freely diffuse across a plasma membrane.
 Recognize that a substance’s name or formula in brackets signifies “concentration” of said substance.
Example: high [glucose] simply means high glucose concentration.
 Given information about a cell’s [solute] and the cell’s environment, be able to predict the
movement of water (osmosis).
 Know the role that osmosis plays in creating Turgor pressure in plant cells.
Transport
 Compare passive and active transport.
 Recognize the molecule “ATP” as the energy used in active transport.
 Recognize different types of active transport (simple pump, exocytosis, endocytosis).
 Compare the use of exo- and endocytosis to that of trans-membrane proteins for active transport (in
what different situations is each process useful?).
The Immune System
 Know how cells use their plasma membranes to alert the body to an infection.
 Know what role membrane proteins, phagocytes, macrophages, pathogens and lysosomes play in the
immune system.
The Respiratory & Circulatory Systems
 Be able to trace the flow of oxygen from the environment to the alveolus (Fig. 30.1).
 Know how gas exchange happens between the alveolus and the blood vessel through the
spontaneous process of diffusion (Fig. 30.5).
 Know the four chambers of the heart and its four valves (Fig. 30.7).
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Be able to follow the path of blood and oxygen through both the systemic and pulmonary
circulation paths (Figs. 30.9 and 30.10).
Know how the structure of blood vessels relates to their function (Fig. 30.11)