Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Biology LibreTexts

7: Cell Structure and Function

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

  • 7.1: Introduction
    Cells are the fundamental building blocks of life, serving as the basic structural and functional units of all living organisms.
  • 7.2: How Cells Are Studied
    Cells vary in size. With few exceptions, individual cells are too small to be seen with the naked eye, so scientists use microscopes to study them. A microscope is an instrument that magnifies an object and various types of microscopes are used to visualize cells and their internal structures.
  • 7.3: Comparing Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
    There are two broad types of cells: Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic. Prokaryotic cells are simple, single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, with their genetic material freely floating in the cytoplasm. In contrast, eukaryotic cells are more complex and can be either single-celled or multicellular, possessing a defined nucleus and various membrane-bound organelles, as found in plants, animals, fungi, and protists.
  • 7.4: Eukaryotic Cells
    Our natural world also utilizes the principle of form following function, especially in cell biology, and this will become clear as we explore eukaryotic cells. Unlike prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells have: 1) a membrane-bound nucleus; 2) numerous membrane-bound organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and others; and 3) several, rod-shaped chromosomes. Because a eukaryotic cell’s nucleus is surrounded by a membrane, it is has “true nucleus.”
  • 7.5: Key Terms
  • 7.6: Chapter Summary


7: Cell Structure and Function is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

  • Was this article helpful?

Support Center

How can we help?