Cells and their functions

Humans are multi-cellular animals. That means we are made of lots of cells, not just one cell. The cells in many multi-cellular animals and plants arespecialised, so that they can share out the processes of life. They work together like a team to support the different processes in an organism.

Specialised cells

You should be able to work out special features of a cell from a drawing, if you are told what the cell can do. The tables below show examples of some specialised animal and plant cells, with their functions and special features.

Type of animal cell	Function
Red blood cells	To carry oxygen
Nerve cells	To carry nerve impulses to different parts of the body
Female reproductive cell (egg cell)	To join with male cell, and then to provide food for the new cell that's been formed
Male reproductive cell (sperm cell)	To reach female cell, and join with it

Type of plant cell	Function
Root hair cell	To absorb water and minerals
Leaf cell	To absorb sunlight for photosynthesis