Development of Specialised Cells
- In complex multicellular organisms eukaryotic cells become specialised for specific functions. This can also be referred to as the division of labour
- The process occurs after fertilisation to allow development of different tissues within the embryo
- Specialisation enables the cells in these tissues to function more efficiently as they develop specific adaptations for their role. The development of these distinct specialised cells occurs by differentiation
- These specialised eukaryotic cells have specific adaptations to help them carry out their functions
- For example, the structure of a cell is adapted to help it carry out its function (this is why specialised eukaryotic cells can look extremely different from each other)
- Structural adaptations include:
- The shape of the cell
- The organelles the cell contains (or doesn’t contain)
- For example: Cells that make large amounts of proteins will be adapted for this function by containing many ribosomes (the organelle responsible for protein production)
- Structural adaptations include: