State the cell theory and briefly describe 3 exceptions.

The cell theory states that:All living organisms are composed of cells (unicellular or multicellular)The cell is the smallest unit of lifeAll cells come from the division of pre-existing cellsExceptions:Skeletal muscle: composed of muscle fibres which are much larger than most cells (length: > 300 mm) and each fibre contains hundreds of nuclei (i.e. muscle cells fuse to form muscle fibres)Aseptate fungal hyphae: The building blocks of fungi are hyphae. Hyphae are long filamentous tube-like structures which can be divided into cellular compartments by walls called septa. Some other fungi lack septa and are aseptate fungi. Hence, the hyphae are long undivided structures of cytoplasm with many nuclei.Giant Algae (e.g. Acetabularia): Despite being unicellular it grows to very large sizes (it may be > 7 cm long)

KP
Answered by KYRIAKI P. Biology tutor

6650 Views

See similar Biology IB tutors

Related Biology IB answers

All answers ▸

Explain Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.


How does the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood travel throughout the heart?


Describe the cardiac cycle in the human heart


What is the probability of offspring (both male and female) being affected by haemophilia if both parents are unaffected?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning