Plant vs Animal Cells
Plant cells and animal cells are essential in the makeup of a plant or an animal, respectively. Most cells, if not all are invisible to the naked eye, which is why providing a visual difference is hard to do on a plant and animal cell. Once under the microscope, both cells are easily identified with some characteristics specific to each. Differences between plant cells and animal cells are noted in their structure and functionality though they have many similarities too, as both being living things.
Plant Cell
A plant cell is rectangular in shape; usually it is fixed which makes it hard for a plant to adapt to changes in shapes and sizes. Plant cell assumes a regular or fix shape. These cells are surrounded by a layer of wall called the cellulose which acts as gateway to allow water and fluid to move in and out freely through osmosis. This allows the cells to absorb as much fluid without bursting. Plants cells also contain chloroplasts which are necessary for producing food inside their cells. Plant cells contain one large vacuole which takes up most of the entire cell volume.
Animal Cell
On the other hand, an animal cell is irregularly shaped or somewhat round, this allows easy adjustment of animal cells to any changes in its shape and size. An animal cell does not have any wall of cellulose surrounding it. This is the reason why an animal cell can easily swell and burst when subjected to increase fluid volume. Unlike in plant cells, animal cells needs to excrete the water or fluid out of the cells for it not to burst or swell. If plant cells contain chloroplasts, animal cells do not have any. That is why animals have to eat because unlike plants, they cannot synthesize their own food. Animal cells do contain vacuoles but are very small compared to the plant cell’s vacuole.
Differences between plant cells and animal cells
Both plant and animal cells are eukaryotic and both contain chromosomes. Both also contain mitochondria, which plays a very important role of synthesizing energy for the survival of both cells. A cell membrane stands guard for both cells to protect it from whatever tries to enter into the cell. The cell membrane controls what gets in or out of both the plant and animal cell.
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In Brief: 1. Both plant and animal cells have proper nuclei or eukaryotic which has chromosomes to tell the cells exactly what they need to do. 2. Both similarly have the following: mitochondria, cytoplasm and a cell membrane. 3. Plant cells are rectangular in shape and are regular while animal cells are round and irregularly shaped. 4. Where plants cells have cellulose wall to maintain fluid balance thru osmosis, animal cells have none. 5. Plant cells contain one large vacuole enough to almost take up the entire cell space while animal cells contain smaller vacuoles inside the cells. 6. Plant cells contain chloroplasts, animal cells do not have any |
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