Cell Specialization
WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF CELLS,
EACH DESIGNED TO CARRY OUT A SPECIAL FUNCTION.
Specialized Plant Cells
Thin walled plant cells
Thick walled plant cells
Very thick walled plant cells
Examples of specialized plant cells:

Guard cells are bean-shaped
cells with a stoma (pore) in
between to allow gas exchange

Palisade cells are
elongated cells with
many chloroplasts to
carry out photosynthesis.
Examples of specialized plant cells:

Epidermal cells are
transparent to let light
pass through them

Root hair cell has a large
surface area to absorb
water and minerals.
Spaces between plant cells

The space between plant cells is
called the middle lamellae.

This is a sticky sugary substance
called pectin.

Pectin acts like cement and
holds the cells together.
Specialized Animal cells
 Cells in multicellular
organisms become
specialized by turning
different genes off or on.
 This is known as
differentiation.
Examples of specialized animal cells:



Nerve cell: conduct
electrical signals
Red Blood cells:
contain hemoglobin
that absorbs oxygen.
Smooth muscle cells:
can contract.

Epithelial cell: protect
us from outside
invaders.

White blood cell: moves
like an Amoebae to find
and destroy invaders.
Examples of specialized animal cells:

Lung cells: have a lot of different types of cells to
allow gases to exchange rapidly.

All coated with mucus to trap dust and germs.

Mucus is swept away by Ciliated cells.
Examples of specialized animal cells:

Stomach: contains
powerful acid
(hydrochloric) for
digestion.

Mucus protects our
stomach lining.
Examples of specialized animal cells:
Examples of specialized animal cells:

Small intestine: Villi increase surface area for nutrient absorption.
Questions
(page 53)
1.
What advantage does a thick, flexible plant cell wall
provide over a thick rigid plant cell wall?
2.
Predict what might happen to multicellular plants if a
micro-organism that digested pectin was accidentally
released from a laboratory.
3.
Identify body cells with a structure that is similar to that of
a unicellular organism.