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Cell Biology

Cell Specialisation and Differentiation

AQA GCSE Biology

Specialised cells

A specialised cell has features that suit it to one function.

CellFeatureHow it helps
Sperm cellcontains a nucleusto provide the chromosomes for fertilisation
Sperm cellhas a long tailto help the cell to swim to the egg
Nerve celllong, has branches, has insulationcarries electrical impulses around the body
Muscle cellprotein fibres that contract, many mitochondriacontracts, with respiration releasing the energy
Root hair celllong projectiongives a large surface area for absorbing water and mineral ions
Xylem cellmade of dead cells, hollow with no cytoplasm, walls strengthened with lignintransports water and mineral ions
Phloem cellmade of living cells, contains cytoplasm, pores in their end walls, no lignintransports dissolved sugars
SPERM CELL nucleus long tail NERVE CELL branches insulation ROOT HAIR CELL long projection XYLEM lignin hollow, dead cells PHLOEM pores in end walls cytoplasm
Five specialised cells, each labelled with the feature that suits it to its function.
  • The function of a sperm cell is fertilisation: it carries the chromosomes from the male to the egg.
  • Name the cell in full: root hair cell, nerve cell.
  • Nerve cells are found in animals; xylem cells in plants.
  • Root cells do not photosynthesise because they have no chloroplasts.
  • In an unfamiliar cell, many mitochondria mean a lot of aerobic respiration, which releases energy.

Differentiation

  • A cell becomes specialised by differentiation. Write differentiation for the process; the cell it produces is a specialised cell.
  • As a cell differentiates it gains the sub-cellular structures it needs for its function, and loses others.
  • A cell differentiating into a phloem cell shows loss of sub-cellular structures, and its end walls become perforated.
  • Many plant cells keep the ability to differentiate throughout the life of the plant.

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