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Chapter 5

The Fundamental Unit of Life

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Introduction

All live species are made up of cells, which are basic structures in a body. In 1665, a scientist named Robert Hooke discovered them while examining a cork slice under a rudimentary microscope. Later, in 1674, Leeuwenhoek used an improvised microscope to see living organisms in pond water. In addition to the major discovery, other scientists later found the other components of the cells. Thus, in 1831, Robert Brown found the nucleus, and in 1839, a scientist named Purkinje discovered protoplasm, coining the term to describe the fluid substance inside the cell.

 

Later, in 1838 and 1839, two biologists named Schleiden and Schwann proposed the cell hypothesis, which argues that all animals and plants are made up of cells, which are the fundamental units of life. In the year 1855, another scientist named Virchow added to the cell hypothesis by suggesting that all cells originate from pre-existing cells. The introduction of the scanning electron in 1940 allowed scientists to examine and understand the cell's intricate structure and organelles.

In this article, we will learn about the following topics in NCERT class 9th science chapter 5:

 

● History of the cell

● Components of the cell

● Cell structural organisation

● Osmosis

● Cell wall

● Nucleus

● Plant cell and animal cell

● Types of cells

● Cell organelles

●      The fundamental unit of life class 9 NCERT solutions

To begin with, let us know some basics of the chapter and NCERT class 9 science chapter 5 solution:

Robert Hooke was the first to discover and identify the cell in 1665. He noticed that it appeared oddly similar to cellula or little apartments occupied by monks. But, what Hooke truly saw underneath the lens where the dead cell walls from plant cells (cork).

A plasma membrane, a nucleus, and cytoplasm are three different components of every cell. All activity within the cell and exchanges between the cell and its environment are possible because of these components. You will learn more through the NCERT solution of class 9 science chapter 5.

●      Osmosis: Water is obtained through osmosis by unicellular freshwater creatures and most plants.

●      Cell wall: Plant cells are the only ones that have a cell wall. Cell walls are permeable and composed of cellulose. It protects the contents of the cell from the outside world. It gives the cell its shape.

●      Nucleus: The nucleus is protected by the nuclear membrane, which is a double-layered membrane. Material can move from the inside to the outside of the nuclear membrane through holes.

Plant cell: It possesses a cell wall, has chloroplast in it, and has large vacuoles.

Animal cell:  It does not have a cell wall or the chloroplast and has small vacuoles.

Let's discuss the fundamental unit of life class 9 solutions

QUESTIONS:

Question 1: Draw a comparison and list how plant cells vary from animal cells.

Question 2: What distinguishes a prokaryotic cell from a eukaryotic cell?

Question 3. What happens if the plasma membrane ruptures or breaks down?

Question 4: What would happen to a cell's existence if the Golgi apparatus was missing?

Question 5: Which organelle is recognized as the cell's powerhouse? Why?

Question 6: Where are the lipids and proteins that make up the cell membrane synthesized?

Question 7: How does an amoeba consume its food?

Question 8. What is osmosis?

Question 9: Perform the osmosis experiment below:

Take four peeled potato halves and scoop out each one to produce four potato cups, one of which should be prepared from a boiling potato. Place each potato cup in a water-filled trough.

 

(a) leave cup A empty, and (b) add one teaspoon sugar to cup B.

(c) Place one teaspoon of salt in cup C.

(d) Fill the boiling potato cup with one teaspoon of sugar.

Keep them in the fridge for two hours. Then look at the four potato cups and answer the following questions:

  1.  Describe why water collects in the hollowed-out portions of B and C.

  2. What is the significance of Potato A in this experiment?

  3. Describe why water does not collect in the hollowed-out sections of A and D.

Question 10:  What is the composition of the plasma membrane?

Question 11:  What was the first thing that Robert Hooke saw in a cork cell?

Question 12: Identify the independent organelles that exist in the cell.

Question 13:  What exactly does the term protoplasm relate to?

Question 14:  Give the names of two cells that are constantly altering their form.

Question 15:  In the human body, identify the smallest and the longest cells by size.

Question 16: Name three characteristics that can be found in every cell.

Question 17: What exactly is diffusion?

Question 18: What exactly is osmosis?

Question 19: What is the junction of chromosomes, and how does it work?

Question 20: Identify the organelles found in the livers of animals that are responsible for detoxifying a wide range of toxins and medications.

Question 21: What exactly is the role of the ribosome?

Answer:1

S. No.

Prokaryotic cell

Eukaryotic cell

1.

Generally small in size

Generally large in size

2.

Nuclear region is poorly defined due to absence of a nuclear membrane and known as nucleoid

Nuclear region well defined and surrounded by a nuclear membrane

3.

There is a single chromosome

There are more than on chromosomes

4.

Membrane bound cell organelles absent

Membrane bound cell organelles present

Answer:2

Prokaryotic cells are often smaller in size (1-10 pm), have a weakly defined nuclear region, non-membrane-bound cell organelles, and a single chromosome. Eukaryotic cells are usually bigger (5-100 pm), and the nuclear area is strongly demarcated by the nuclear membrane. There are membrane-bound cell organelles present and more than one chromosome.

Answer:3

When the plasma membrane ruptures or breaks down, molecules of some substances may easily travel in and out.

Answer: 4

The Golgi apparatus is used to store, modify, and package products in vesicles. If there were no Golgi bodies, the cell's synthesized components would be packaged and sent.

Answer:5

Mitochondria are recognized as the cell's powerhouse since they release the energy essential for many biological processes.

Answer:6

The ER [Endoplasmic Reticulum] synthesizes lipids and proteins.

Answer: 7

Amoeba consumes food via the cell membrane, which generates the food vacuole.

Answer:8

Osmosis is the process of movement of a water molecule from a region of higher water concentration through a semipermeable membrane to a region of lower water concentration.

Answer:9

  1. Water collects in B and C because the concentration of water in the trough and water in the potato cup differs in both cases. As a result, osmosis occurs because the potato cells behave as a semipermeable membrane.

  2.  Potato A is required for this experiment for comparative purposes; it serves as a control.

  3.  Water does not accumulate in the hollowed-out areas of A and D. Because cup A's content does not allow the water to flow. For osmosis to occur, one concentration must be greater than the other. Because the cells in cup D are dead, the semipermeable membrane does not exist for the passage of water, and no osmosis occurs.

Answer 10

Proteins and lipids are the building blocks of the plasma membrane.

Answer 11

Robert Hooke discovered that cork is composed of box-like compartments that create a honeycomb structure, which he named after his father.

Answer 12

Chloroplasts and mitochondria are the only organelles in the cell that can function independently.

Answer 13

The terms protoplasm and nucleus relate to the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively.

Answer 14

Amoebae and white blood cells are examples of pathogens.

Answer 15

The red blood cell, or sperm cell in males, is the smallest cell in the body. The nerve cell is the longest kind of cell.

Answer 16

The plasma membrane, the nucleus, and the cytoplasm are all found in every cell.

Answer 17

Diffusion is the term used to describe the movement of gases through a cell membrane, such as carbon dioxide and oxygen.

Answer 18

Osmosis is the term used to describe the passage of water molecules via a selectively permeable membrane. There is a transition from high water concentration to low water concentration in this process.

Answer 19

Chromosomes, which are made up of DNA molecules, provide information on the inheritance of characteristics from one generation to the next generation.

Answer 20

The smooth endoplasmic reticulum of animal cells is involved in the detoxification of a wide range of toxins and medications.

Answer 21

Ribosomes are essential for protein synthesis.

In this chapter, we learned that each cell, along with its organelles and membrane, can perform a distinct purpose. As a result, the cell is the basic functional unit of life. The nucleus contains chromosomes made up of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and proteins. The nucleus is in charge of the overall activity of the cell.

Refer to the NCERT solutions class 9 science chapter 5 for more understanding.

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