2.4 Plant and Animal Cells
Notes
Plant and animal cells are both eukaryotic but have some different parts.
- Only plant cells have a cell wall (made of cellulose) for support and chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
- Plant cells have a large central vacuole that stores water and keeps the cell firm (turgor pressure).
- Animal cells have small vacuoles (or none), and they have centrioles that help in cell division.
- Animal cells have only a cell membrane on the outside, so they come in many shapes; plant cells are often boxy.
Practice
A cell has chloroplasts, a cell wall and a large central vacuole. It came from:
Chloroplasts and a large central vacuole together point to a plant cell.
A houseplant wilts when it is not watered. Which structure has lost water?
When the central vacuole loses water, cells lose turgor pressure and the plant droops.
Which organelle is found in BOTH plant and animal cells?
Plants also do cellular respiration, so they have mitochondria too.
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