We have seen that a cell in a simple organism can carry out all the functions necessary for living and reproducing. such a cell, however, cannot perform all it's functions efficiently. This is because for each function , the cell needs to be organized in a certain way to perform that function efficiently. This is why cell specialization had to occur for complex organisms to develop.
As cell becomes specialized for a particular function, its structure and chemical content Al's become modified, for example,
• its shape may change;
• some organelles and parts may be lost, while others mag be increased in size and number;
• its pH medium may become acidic of alkaline instead of neutral; and
• it may contain special chemical substances like amylase, insulin and urea.
When a cell becomes specialized to carry out a particular function, it usually lose its ability to carry out some of the other functions of a cell. Extremely specialized cells like nerve cells cannot reproduce, a basic function of all living cells.
Specialized cells cannot live on their own like chlamydomonas cell or a cell from a Spirogyra filament. They are interdependent on other cells in the organism. Their specialization enables them to carry out their functions efficiently. They serve the organism as a whole and enable the organism to become highly successful.
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