Cell structure, compartmentalization and surface area to volume ratio

Learning objectives

Describe the structure and function of the ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondrion, chloroplast, lysosome, vacuole and nucleus, and explain how these organelles work together in the export of a protein

Compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, identifying the features common to all cells and explaining why membrane-bound organelles allow compartmentalization of incompatible reactions

Calculate surface area to volume ratio and explain why this ratio limits cell size and shapes adaptations such as microvilli, root hairs and flattened cells

Explain how the endosymbiotic theory accounts for the double membranes, circular DNA and ribosomes of mitochondria and chloroplasts, and identify the evidence that supports it

Interpret a diagram or micrograph of a cell to identify structures and justify a claim about the cell's likely function from the organelles it contains in abundance