Biology - Ranking of the Organelles

Although there probably isn’t a definitive ranking because every organelle depends on the other in order to function properly, there are some organelles that seem to be of greater importance. Between providing structural support, energy production, material transportation, and cell maintenance, the tasks carried about by the various organelles in the cell are diverse, yet some can be deemed more critical than others.

         I believe in order to rank these, one must first determine what is most important when considering the livelihood of a cell. I believe that we can look at our bodies as a whole and compare them to a cell in order to see what is most important within a cell.

Of utmost importance is the nucleus, as it is the control center of the cell. Without it, the cell would have no direction or organization. In order to play this critical role of monitoring the activities of the other organelles in the cell, the nucleus must contain the cell’s unique DNA. The nucleus is the brain of the cell, and because the brain is the most important organ in the body I believe it can be stated that the nucleus is the most important organelle in the cell.

The plasma membrane is the next most important, due to the fact that it physically holds the cell together. Without it, the cell would lose its structural integrity, and the cell could fall victim to various impurities entering in and disrupting normal activity. The plasma membrane is like the skin of the cell, which is why I believe it ranks second on this list. Much like the skin of the human body, the cell membrane acts as a first defense against outside threats.

The mitochondria are the next most important organelle because they provide the cell the energy necessary to perform all of the tasks that have to take place. If the mitochondria were not present, the cell would have no ATP for fuel and would cease to function.

After recognizing the greater importance of these three organelles, I believe the rest are more difficult to rank due to the fact that their functions are very specific in character. The endoplasmic reticulum would be next in importance in my opinion due to the fact that it contains the next most important organelle, the ribosomes. Without the endoplasmic reticulum, the ribosomes would have no place to stay, thereby ceasing protein production.