The Importance of Membranes

The membranes that surround cells may be the most important part of the cell. Though chromosomes, mitochondria, and other parts of the cell may in the media more often, cellular membranes were probably the first structures of living organisms to evolve. The cell membrane is the only cellular structure that is found in all of the cells of all of the organisms on Earth.

The basic function of cell membranes is to separate the vital chemicals and structures needed to maintain the cell from the environment, which may contain chemicals and structures that are harmful to the cell. Cell membranes also contain structures that help regulate the types and amounts of molecules pulled from the environment.