Animal and Plant Cells
Animal and plant cells are some of the basic types of cells that we can study and know the what is inside of them and what they do. Just as humans have organs with different jobs, cells have organelles and they also have specific functions.
Animal Cell
Nucleus – Contains the cells DNA and controls the activity of the cell
Mitochondria – Respiration takes place here, provides the cell with energy
Cell Membrane – Controls what goes in and out of the cell
Ribosomes – Protein synthesis* takes place here
Cytoplasm – Where chemical reactions take place
*Synthesis – to make something
Plant Cell
A plant cell has the 5 same organelles as an animal cell plus 3 extra.
Chloroplasts – The site of photosynthesis. Contains chlorophyll which makes the plant green
Permanent Vacuole – Contains cell sap and helps keep the cells shape
Cell wall –The cell wall adds strength and structure to the cell. It is made out of cellulose
You now should be able to tell the similarities and differences between an animal cell and a plant cell. Below is a direct comparison for you to see.
Another useful way to remember the difference is to put them in a table like below.
It is important to remember that there are 3 extra parts to a plant cell and there are 8 in total you need to know.
Note: You may see some animal cells can contain small vacuoles but they do not contain a permanent vacuole! At GCSE you do not need to focus on this.