Question

Can anyone send send me the summary of the chapter cell the fundamental unit of life in about 100-300 words

Answer 1

CELL is the fundamental & structural unit of all living beings. It is the smallest part of the body of an organism which is capable of independent existence & of performing life functions of life.
All organisms include ourselves, start life as a single cell called the egg.
Cell was first discovered by Robert Hooke. He was the first to see them (dead cells in the cork) under the microscope.
Cell theory was proposed by Schwaan & Schleiden.
The cell theory states that:
i) All cells arise from pre-existing cells,
ii) It is the functional & structural unit of all living beings,
iii) The cell is the smallest unit of structure of all living beings.

Characteristics of Cells:
i) Basic structural unit,
ii) It is also a functional unit,
iii) Cell die & are replaced,
iv) Life starts as a single cell.

CELL IN NUMBERS:
i) Single celled (one cell) Ex: Amoeba etc. 
ii) Few celled. Ex : Volvox etc.
iii) Multi-celled. Ex : Human beings etc.

STRUCTURE OF CELL :
It contains :
i) Cell membrane
ii) Cytoplasm
iii) Nucleus

Cytoplasm contains cell organelles like:
i) Endoplasmic Recticulum
ii) Ribosomes
iii) Mitochondria
iv) Golgi apparatus
v) Lysosomes
vi) Centrosomes
vii) Plastids
viii) Leucoplasts
ix) Chromoplasts
x) Chloroplasts
xi) Granules
xii) Vacuoles.

Answer 2

Cells are the fundamental units of life. All present-day cells are believed to have evolved from an ancestral cell that existed more than 3 billion years ago.All cells are enclosed by a plasma membrane, which separates the inside of the cell from its environment.All cells contain DNA as a store of genetic information and use it to guide the synthesis of RNA molecules and proteins.Cells in a multicellular organism, though they all contain the same DNA, can be very different. They turn on different sets of genes according to their developmental history and to signals they receive from their environment.Animal and plant cells are typically 5–20 μm in diameter and can be seen with a light microscope, which also reveals some of their internal components, including the larger organelles.The electron microscope reveals even the smallest organelles, but specimens require elaborate preparation and cannot be viewed while alive.Specific large molecules can be located in fixed or living cells with a fluorescence microscope.The simplest of present-day living cells are prokaryotes: although they contain DNA, they lack a nucleus and other organelles and probably resemble most closely the ancestral cell.Different species of prokaryotes are diverse in their chemical capabilities and inhabit an amazingly wide range of habitats. Two fundamental evolutionary subdivisions are recognized: bacteria and archaea.Eukaryotic cells possess a nucleus and other organelles not found in prokaryotes. They probably evolved in a series of stages, including the acquisition of mitochondria by engulfment of aerobic bacteria and (for plant cells) the acquisition of chloroplasts by engulfment of photosynthetic bacteria.The nucleus contains the genetic information of the eukaryotic organism, stored in DNA molecules.The cytoplasm includes all of the cell’s contents outside the nucleus and contains a variety of membrane-enclosed organelles with specialized functions: mitochondria carry out the final oxidation of food molecules; in plant cells, chloroplasts perform photosynthesis; the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus synthesize complex molecules for export from the cell and for insertion in cell membranes; lysosomes digest large molecules.Animals, plants, and some fungi consist of diverse eukaryotic cell types, all derived from a single fertilized egg cell; the number of such cells cooperating to form a large multicellular organism such as a human runs into thousands of billions.