Welcome Biology Students!
This webquest is designed to help you become familiar with the organelles of the animal cell. Click on the links (in order), explore what the web page has to offer, and answer the accompanying questions to check your understanding.
Happy Questing!
Our first stop is the University of Utah, where we begin to get an appreciation of the size of cells. Move the slider to move up and down the size scale.
1. What was the smallest animal cell you saw? What was the largest?
2. What level of complexity do you think something so small is capable of? (Do you think because something is small, it must be simple, or can it be complex)? Why?
3. Make a quick sketch of what you think the interior of the cell looks like.
What about the cells in our body? Read the first two paragraph of this web page for information about your cells.
4. How many cell types are in your body?
5. What parts of your body are made out of dead cells?
Next up, an overview of the cell, again from the University of Utah. Scroll over the cell to see through the membrane. Click on any of the individual organelles for more information.
6. Compare this cell to your initial sketch. How does this cell differ? How is it the same? For example, did you expect the cell to have so many things inside of it?
7. What do the white, thread-like things represent here?
Now, we start learning more about each of the organelles!
Let's start with the nucleus. Go to this page and click on the nucleus. There are three parts here - make sure you go through all of them
8. What is the function of the nucleus?
9. What do you think would happen to the cell if it didn't have a nucleus?
They cytosol may look like empty space, but actually lots of important things happen there. Read the introduction from wikipedia to find out more.
10. Besides water, what sort of other things are in the cytosol?
11. Name two processes that take place in the cytosol.
11. Name two processes that take place in the cytosol.
To find out more about mitochondria, go here and click on mitochondrion. You can ignore the parts with chemical reactions in them.
12. What is the main role of the mitochondria?
13. What makes mitochondria different from other organelles?
Next, we're headed for the Golgi. Go here, click on animal cell, then find the Golgi.
14. Sometimes the Golgi is described as the crossroads of the cell. Why?
15. Some people describe the Golgi as looking like a stack of pancakes. From what you know about the Golgi, why is it organized this way?
15. Some people describe the Golgi as looking like a stack of pancakes. From what you know about the Golgi, why is it organized this way?
Go back to this page and scroll down to find the ribosomes.
16. What do ribosomes do for the cell?
17. Where are most ribosomes found?
Next, the endoplasmic reticulum.
18. What is the difference between the smooth and rough ER?
19. Why do you think it is useful for the ER to contain a lot of folds?
17. Where are most ribosomes found?
Next, the endoplasmic reticulum.
18. What is the difference between the smooth and rough ER?
19. Why do you think it is useful for the ER to contain a lot of folds?
Go here, find the lysosomes, and read the first two paragraphs.
20. What is unique about the inside of the lysosome, compared to other organelles?
21. Lysosome malfunction is implicated in many diseases. What do you think would happen if the lysosomes stopped working?
21. Lysosome malfunction is implicated in many diseases. What do you think would happen if the lysosomes stopped working?
22. How is the cytoskeleton like your skeleton? How is it different?
23. What sort of molecules make up the cytoskeleton?
23. What sort of molecules make up the cytoskeleton?
Congratulations! You have completed the web quest. Next up, we will be taking the best parts of all of the models of the cells we saw to make our own.
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