Do Organelles really have jobs?
I am the smallest functioning part of a living thing or organism.I am called an organelle.There are many of us working together in the cell, we work like a 'team of football players', we help each other out, for the proper functioning of the whole cell.
I would like you to meet some of my teammates,but first did I tell you my exact name?--mmm..I don't think I did.I am the nucleus of the cell.I am considered the chief of all organelles.
I am in charge of all of the activities of the other organelles.I am usually found in the center of the cell.
If you look at me closely you will see thin thread-like structures floating around inside of me.They are called chromosomes .They are very important for making new cells.I also have another spherical structure inside of me called the nucelolus, boy!,oh boy!,I carry lots of stuff.
Here I am-the NUCLEUS!Don't you think I am amazing?
Meet my teammates that help me to obtain energy-hello MITOCHONDRIA!pronounced (mi tuh KAHN dree uh)This is the "powerhouse" or generator of the cell it provides most of the energy that the rest of us organelles, need to do our work.
Let's swim around in the cytoplasm a little, oops! This is thick like jelly I am sinking ,but I can see many tiny structures that resemble dots. These are really the most abundant of all my teammates.They are the RIBOSOMES, just like factories they take in raw materials(amino acids) and use them to make proteins.
Just like my other team mates the GOLGI APPARATUS works closely with the ribosomes. They package the proteins after they are produced.They remind me of packaging plants that package goods before they are shipped to the customer.
How can a cell work without the help of the LYSOSOMES! these buddies digest or breakdown old worn out materials and bacteria.They act like the' cleaning crew' for the team,they do the job that most of you do not want to do at home and at school.We are all grateful for these organelles.
VACUOLES work well with the lysosomes.These organelles store food, waste and water.Lysosomes attach to vacuoles and digest the waste.These teamsters are like store houses,they keep things out of the way.
These folds that run through the cell from the nuclear membrane to the cell or plasma membrane are like channels through which materials travel. Protein and lipid synthesis also take place here.They are the endoplasmic reticulum(ER)
Finally you will now meet my teammate that works closest to the outside of the cell,-the cell or plasma membrane!
This menbrane is fanstastic, it regulates substances entering and leaving the cell. It controls the processes of diffusion, osmosis,and active transport.It also helps the cell to communicate with other cells while it is separating the cell contents from the environment,keeping everything within the cell.Great job!