Cell Size

From Smallest to largest+ Prokaryotic Cells

Size Comparison

Kind of CellSize (approximate)

• Bacteria(E. coli) 1 um

• Red Blood Cell 8 um

• Elodea epidermal cell 65 um

• Amoeba 700 um

• Hen's egg 50,000 um

Smallest Cells

• Mycoplasmas bacteria 0.1 -1.0 µm

Largest Cells

• *Ostrich Egg

• Chicken Egg

Metrics

• 1 cm = 0.01 m (10-2)m centimeter

• 1 mm = 0.001 m (10-3)m millimeter

• 1 µm = 0.000 001 m (10-6)m micrometer

• 1 nm = 0.000 000 001 m (10-9)m nanometer

• 1 Å = 0.000 000 0001 m (10-10) Angstrom

Longest Cells

• Muscle and Nerve Cells

Form and Function

• Nerve

• Long to send impulses

Form and Function

• Muscle

• Move bones

Form and Function

• Blood Cells

• Smooth, travel through blood vessels

Form and Function

• Skin Cell

• Flat top for protection

• Cube for cushion

• As cells get larger, the surface area to volume ratio ______________________ (increases/decreases).

• decreases

Prokaryotic Cells

Contrasting Nucleoid and Nucleus

Which are bigger?

• Prokaryotic cells 0.2- 2µm in size

• Eukaryotic cells 10- 500µm in size

Cocci(spherical)

Bacilli(rod)

Spiral

Cyanobacteria

Note the color: green

Bacteria Capsule

Sticky to adhere to surfaces

Prokaryote flagella

Swimming Bacteria

How Bacteria Swim (animation link) and also one at bottom