Specialized Plant and Animal Cells

Goals for Today

• Unspecialized cells can become specialized• Specialized cells group together to function as

tissue• Specialization of cells allow for diversity of

function in multicellular organisms

The Process of Specialization

• All cells within an organism have the same genetic information, but are not all alike

• Cell Specialization: cells develop in different ways to perform particular functions (e.g. lung cells, skin cells, brain cells; xylem, phloem, stem, leaf)

Stem Cells

• Stem Cells: an unspecialized cell• All cells originally came from stem cells• When exposed to the proper environmental

conditions, stem cells form specialized cells• Current research involves using stem cells to

treat injuries and disease by regenerating organs

Types of Stem Cells

1. Embryonic – Found in embryos– Able to undergo differentiation to become a

specialized cell

2. Adult– As organisms mature, stem cells become specialized– Pools of stem cells in tissues can help repair damage

from injury and aging

Meristematic Cells

• Plant stem cells

• Active throughout the life of a plant, which means they continually produce new cells of various types

Specialized Cells to Tissue

• Groups of cells that function to perform specialized tasks are called tissues

Animal Tissues

• Epithelial Tissue– Form a protective barrier

• Connective Tissue– Main function is to join other tissues together– Tendons and ligaments, bones, cartilage, and

blood

Animal Tissues

• Muscle – Skeletal, smooth (blood vessels, stomach), cardiac– Can contract either voluntarily or involuntarily

• Nervous– Nerve cells create messages (called impulses) and

transmit them through the body

Plant Tissues

• Epidermal – Clear and very thin– Specialized guard cells called stomate allow CO2,

water vapour, and O2 to move into and out of the leaf

– Most stomate found on the underside of the leaf

Plant Tissues

• Ground Tissue– Most of the plant is made of ground tissue– Roots: food and water storage– Leaves: photosynthesis occurs in specialized

tissues called mesophyll

Plant Tissue

• Vascular– Transports water and nutrients– Xylem moves water and minerals from the root to

the leaves (where used for photosynthesis)– Phloem transports sugar from the leaves to other

parts of the plant

Four Corner Activity

• In order to move forward in medicine, we need to use stem cell research to discover new cures and methods for treating diseases

• Completely Agree, Somewhat Agree, Somewhat Disagree, Completely Disagree