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Heather Lewis and Mariah Casias

Hypothesis: After viewing some preliminary samples, we hypothesized that the size of an organism’s cells is inversely proportionate to the size of the organism. In other words, bigger organisms would be comprised of smaller cells while smaller organisms would be comprised of bigger cells.

In order to test our hypothesis, we viewed the cells of nine different organisms under a microscope and measured the size of the cells using units of micron. We then compared these measurements to the size of the whole organism on a meter scale.

Supporting Evidence: We observed that moss (usually measured in centimeters), had cells that were about 100 microns, which was a large measurement compared to our other data. Cup fungus (measured in millimeters or centimeters), had cells that measured around  150 microns. Pine stem cells were around 30 microns, while earthworm cells were 100 microns.

Refuting Evidence: Unfortunately the rest of our data refuted our original hypothesis. Pig intestine (m) cells measured at around 200 microns, and algae (mm) cells measured at 15 microns. Additionally, human uterus cells were around 20 microns each.

Conclusion: The evidence found appears to refute our hypothesis. The data would seem to suggest, in fact, that based on this particular data sample, there is no correlation between cell size and the size of the organism. Perhaps if the cell size of organisms is not dependent on organism size, then it is based on other criteria, such as quantity, function or location within the organism.