Cell Types

Note: You may want to print this page and use your sticky notes and/or a highlighter to work through the ideas here and create a page that will help you remember this information later; or you can use a Notes Page, but collect information!

Your body has two types of cells depending on the number of chromosomes found in the nucleus--body cells and sex cells.

• Body cells
  • These cells are diploid.
  • Diploid cells are cells with the total number of chromosomes (for whatever species) in the body cells.(skin, hair, nails…)
  • The majority of the cells in a multi-celled organism are these type.
• Sex cells
  • These cells are haploid.
  • Haploid cells are cells with half the number of chromosomes as the body cells.
  • Inside the nucleus of eukaryote cells are strands of DNA that form chromosomes. Recall that humans have 46 chromosomes in our body cells. The only exception to that rule is in our sex cells, which are also called gametes - the egg or sperm cells.
  • Gametes contain half the number of chromosomes (23) of the body cells.
    For example:
    • In human males, gametes are called sperm and they contain 23 chromosomes.
    • In females, gametes are called eggs, and they contain 23 chromosomes.
    • That way, when the gametes fuse during sexual reproduction, the new cell (a zygote) has the correct total of 46 chromosomes.

Are you ready to play?

Ok everybody; take out your entry tickets. Bet you didn’t notice that you all have different animals and plants on them. If you can match the animal tickets to the correct sex cell it produces.you can get them stamped for a free ice cream sandwich. Let’s review the rules of making a correct match If a Garden pea has 14 total chromosomes (diploid), the haploid cells (sperm and eggs) have 7 chromosomes each. In the below activity, you will need to match the parent (diploid) with it’s correct gamete (haploid cell).

Click Here to begin the activity

Text-only version

Close This Window