Module 3: Cell Biology - Structure and Function
Organisms come in all sorts of structures, shapes, colors, and textures. When you look at the different multicellular organisms shown in the images above, it may surprise you to learn that all of these living organisms are composed of millions of the same units of life – cells! Every living organism is composed of cells, and all cells share many similarities.
In this module, you will learn about the discovery of cells and some of the different types of cells. You will explore the ways that cells achieve their metabolic needs and you will investigate the structures that are found inside the cell. You will also learn how unicellular organisms function in many of the same ways as multicellular organisms.
Getting Started
Before you begin your exploration of cells, see how much you already know about this topic. In this non-graded interactivity, read each statement and determine if it is true or false. Click the player button to get started.
Key Vocabulary
To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.
| active transport | cytoskeleton | nucleolus |
| adenine triphosphate | diffusion | nucleus |
| aerobic | digestion | organelles |
| anaerobic | endocytosis | osmosis |
| archaebacteria | endosymbiotic theory | passive transport |
| autotroph | equilibrium | phospholipid bilayer |
| biogenesis | eukaryotic cell | photosynthesis |
| Calvin cycle | excretion | Primordial Soup theory |
| cell | exocytosis | prokaryotic cell |
| cell membrane | facilitated diffusion | protein pump |
| cell theory | fluid mosaic model | reproduction |
| cell wall | Golgi apparatus | ribosome |
| cellular respiration | grana | rough endoplasmic reticulum |
| cellulose | heterotroph | scanning tunneling microscope |
| centriole | hydrophilic | selectively permeable |
| chitin | hydrophobic | smooth endoplasmic reticulum |
| chlorophyll | hypertonic | spontaneous generation |
| chloroplast | hypotonic | stroma |
| circulation | isotonic | Theory of the Origin of Life (1924) |
| compound light microscope | Krebs Cycle | thylakoids |
| concentration gradient | lysosome | transmission electron microscope |
| confocal microscope | mitochondria | vacuole |
| cytoplasm | nuclear envelope | vesicle |