Explain how the sub-cellular structures of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are related to their functions, including:
a) animal cells – nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria and ribosomes b) plant cells – nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts, mitochondria, vacuole and ribosomes c) bacteria – chromosomal DNA, plasmid DNA, cellmembrane, ribosomes and flagella
Core Practical: Investigate the effect of pH on enzyme activity
Demonstrate an understanding of rate calculations for enzyme activity
Explain the importance of enzymes as biological catalysts in the synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids and their breakdown into sugars, amino acids and fatty acids and glycerol
Core Practical:Investigate the use of chemical reagents to identify starch, reducing sugars, proteins and fats
Explain how the energy contained in food can be measured using calorimetry
Explain how substances are transported into and out of cells, including by diffusion, osmosis and active transport
Core Practical: Investigate osmosis in potatoes
Calculate percentage gain and loss of mass in osmosis
Describe how specialised cells are adapted to their function, including:
a) sperm cells – acrosome, haploid nucleus, mitochondria and tail b) egg cells – nutrients in the cytoplasm, haploid nucleus and changes in the cell membrane after fertilisation c) ciliated epithelial cells
Explain how changes in microscope technology, including electron microscopy, have enabled us to see cell structures and organelles with more clarity and detail than in the past and increased our understanding of the role of sub-cellular structures
Demonstrate an understanding of number, size and scale, including the use of estimations and explain when they should be used
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between quantitative units in relation to cells, including:
a) milli (10-3) b) micro (10-6) c) nano (10-9) d) pico (10-12) e) calculations with numbers written in standard form
Core Practical: Investigate biological specimens using microscopes, including magnification calculations and labelled scientific drawings from observations
Explain the mechanism of enzyme action including the active site and enzyme specificity
Explain how enzymes can be denatured due to changes in the shape of the active site
Explain the effects of temperature, substrate concentration and pH on enzyme activity