AP Biology
Origins and Diversity of Life on Earth
Reading Guide – Chapter 5.1-5.2 and 26 – The Prokaryotes
Chapter 5 – Structure and Function of the Eukaryotic Cell
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OBJECTIVES
 Describe techniques used to study cell structure and function.
 Distinguish between magnification and resolving power.
 Describe the principles, advantages, and limitations of the light microscope, transmission electron
microscope and the scanning light electron microscope.
 Describe cell fractionation and differential centrifugation and explain why it is a useful technique.
 Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
 Understand the basic features of prokaryotic cells and archaebacteria.
 Understand the endosymbiotic hypothesis regarding the origin of eukaryotic cells.
 Explain why there are both upper and lower limits to cell size.
 Explain why compartmentalization is important in eukaryotic cells.
 Describe the structure and function of the nucleus.
 Describe the structure and function of a eukaryotic ribosome.
 List the components of the endomembrane system, describe their structures and functions and
summarize the relationships among them.
 Describe how proteins are targeted and trafficked within cell.
 Describe how endomembrane system regulates fate of incoming and outgoing cell cargo.
 Explain the role of peroxisomes in eukaryotic cells.
 Explain the role of the vacuole in plant cells.
 Distinguish among the various plastids: leucoplast, chromoplast, and chloroplast.
 Explain how impaired lysosomal function causes the symptoms of storage diseases.
 Describe the types of vacuoles and explain how their functions differ.
 Describe the structure of a mitochondrion and explain the importance of compartmentalization in
mitochondrial function.
 Identify the three functional compartments of a chloroplast, and explain the importance of
compartmentalization in chloroplast function.
 Describe the structure and functions of the cytoskeleton – know actin filaments, intermediate
filaments, and microtubules.
 Explain how the ultra structure of cilia and flagella relates to their function.
 Describe the development of plant cell walls.
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1. How can eukaryotic cells be larger than bacteria with a smaller surface area to volume ratio?
2. What is differential centrifugation? What is it used for and what properties does it separate by?
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AP Biology
Origins and Diversity of Life on Earth
Reading Guide – Chapter 5.1-5.2 and 26 – The Prokaryotes
3. Describe the structure and function of the nuclear envelope and the nuclear pores.
4. Distinguish between the nucleolus, rRNA, and ribosomes.
5. What determines if a ribosome is free in the cytosol or associated with the ER?
6. The endomembrane system consists of a group of membranous subcellular structures. Which
organelles are part of this system? What are their individual functions?
7. What is the overall function of endomembrane system?
8. Trace the path of a protein from the rough ER to the plasma membrane, then trace endocytosed
cargo from the plasma membrane to the lysosome.
9. What is lysosomal storage disorder? At which points in the endomembrane system could you
envision a defect that would ultimately cause such a disorder?
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AP Biology
Origins and Diversity of Life on Earth
Reading Guide – Chapter 5.1-5.2 and 26 – The Prokaryotes
10. Are chloroplasts and mitochondria part of the endomembrane system?
11. What are the general functions of chloroplasts and mitochondria?
12. What are plastids?
13. Distinguish between chloroplasts, chromoplasts and leucoplasts.
14. Are peroxisomes and vacuoles part of the endomembrane system?
15. What is the general function of peroxisomes? What unique chemical reactions occur here?
16. What are the general functions of vacuoles?
17. How do plants deal with wastes since they never evolved a mechanism to excrete them as animal
cells have?
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AP Biology
Origins and Diversity of Life on Earth
Reading Guide – Chapter 5.1-5.2 and 26 – The Prokaryotes
18. Draw and label the parts of the mitochondrion and chloroplast. What other features do chloroplasts
and mitochondria have that support the endosymbiotic theory?
19. What are the primary roles of the cytoskeleton?
20. Describe the structure and function of each of the major components of the cytoskeleton:
a. Microfilaments (sometimes called actin filaments)
b. Intermediate filaments
c. Microtubules
21. Describe the ultrastructure, function and motion of cilia and flagella.
22. Describe the ultrastructure of a centriole.
23. What are motor proteins? Which class of motor proteins interact with actin versus microtubules?
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AP Biology
Origins and Diversity of Life on Earth
Reading Guide – Chapter 5.1-5.2 and 26 – The Prokaryotes
24. What is the relationship between phosphorylation / dephosphorylation and the dynamics of the
cytoskeleton?
25. Describe what would happen to a cell undergoing mitosis if treated with colchicine.
26. Do plant cells contain centrioles?
27. Discuss the composition of plant cell walls.
28. Discuss the roles and components of the extracellular matrix in animals.
29. Describe the Margulis endosymbiotic hypothesis - how the nucleus, the chloroplasts, and the
mitochondrion may have become part of the eukaryotic cell and give some evidence that support
this hypothesis.
30. A prokaryotic algae Prochloron was recently discovered. This algae contains both chlorophyll a and
b, no other prokaryotic organisms contain both of these photosynthetic pigments, but all
photosynthetic eukaryotes contain chlorophyll a and b. Explain why Lynn Margulis and other
supporters of the endosymbiotic hypothesis were happy when they heard of this discovery.
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