Cell types gallery – specialised cells, unicellular organisms and atypical cells
BiologyCell BiologyAges 15–16
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Sign in to playSeventeen schematic drawings: sperm, egg, motor neuron, skeletal muscle fibre, red blood cell, ciliated epithelial cell, root hair cell, xylem vessel, phloem sieve tube with companion cell, guard cells, palisade cell, Amoeba, Paramecium, Euglena, yeast, a bacterium and a fungal hypha. Tap each structure to link its adaptation to its function, and drag the differentiation slider to watch a stem cell specialise. A scale bar, magnification and ruler let students calculate actual size = image size ÷ magnification. Extra screens: identify eight electron micrographs (prokaryote, plant, animal, fungus, typical or atypical) and watch Euglena swim toward light.
Lesson: Specialised cells and differentiation; unicellular organisms; identifying prokaryotic, plant, animal, fungal and atypical cells
What it shows
Cells in a multicellular organism differentiate: they gain structures that fit one job. This gallery shows typical examples from animals and plants, each with the adaptations you can tap, its size and its place in the levels of organisation from cell to organ system. A slider morphs an unspecialised stem or meristem cell into the specialised cell. Unicellular organisms show how one cell carries out every life process. Atypical cells, such as multinucleate muscle fibres, red blood cells without a nucleus and hyphae without cross walls, are compared in an electron micrograph quiz. All drawings are schematic, with typical textbook sizes.
How to use
Pick a Cell. Tap a structure, or tick Show all labels. Drag Differentiation, or press Watch it differentiate. Change Magnification, tick Ruler, drag its red ends across the cell and enter the Actual length in µm, then press Check. On Micrographs, choose the kind of cell and then Typical or Atypical. On Light response, choose the Lamp side and the Light intensity.
Parameters you can change
- Screen Gallery, Electron micrographs, Light response (Euglena)
- Starting cell Sperm cell, Egg cell (ovum), Nerve cell (motor neuron), Muscle fibre (skeletal), Red blood cell, Ciliated epithelial cell, Root hair cell, Xylem vessel, Phloem sieve tube and companion cell, Guard cells, Palisade mesophyll cell, Amoeba, Paramecium, Euglena, Yeast cell, Bacterium, Fungal hypha (no cross walls)
- Starting differentiation 0–100 %
- Magnification level (1 = lowest, 4 = highest) 1–4
- Show all labels
- Ruler on (measure actual size)
Questions to explore
- Why does a sperm cell have so many mitochondria in its midpiece?
- How do the structures of a root hair cell and a palisade cell show that one is underground and one is in a leaf?
- Why is a skeletal muscle fibre called an atypical cell?
