Essay about Comparing Animal Cells to Plant Cells

All mammalian cells are eukaryotic, and whilst the eukaryotic type of cell is not exclusive to mammals, mammalian cells differ from other eukaryotic cells because of the organelles that are or are not present. For instance some plant cells have chloroplasts which are not present in mammalian cells, but both plant cells and mammalian cells are eukaryotic in nature. The term eukaryotic refers to the cell having specific membrane bound organelles, which are not present in prokaryotic cells. The defining feature of a eukaryotic cell is usually its membrane bound nucleus (the exception being the red blood cell) [1].

For a plant cell, the nucleus, without a doubt, is the most important organelle; but in the animal cell, the most vital structure is the mitochondria.

The function of a nucleus is that it controls nearly all the activities that is taken place in the body. The function of the nucleus is to help control all the activities inside the cell. Also the nucleus controls the cells growth and reproduction. Chromosomes Chromosomes are long threads of DNA and protein seen in a dividing cell. They contain the genetic material or genes.

The leaves of a plant are the main photosynthetic organs and are involved in gas exchange and water transportation throughout a plant (Evans et al, 17). A leaf typically consists of an upper and lower epidermis, the mesophyll cells, veins, guard cells and stomata. The mesophyll cells contains spongey cells which have large gaps between each cell to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide circulation. The mesophyll cells contain palisade cells, which are located beneath the upper epidermis. The palisade cells contain many chloroplasts, which are green organelles. Located in the internal layers of chloroplasts is the pigment chlorophyll which is involved in trapping the light energy in photosynthesis (Evans et al, 17).

According to Mattias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann the cell is the basic unit of life(Cell Theory- OI). Two common types of cells are the plant and animal cells. Although both kinds of cells share many similar, abundant structures, they also have varying descrepancies from cell to cell. Without a doubt, the nucleus is the most important organelle in the plant cell, even though, the lysosome is the most important structure in the animal cell.

Plant cells have selectively permeable membrane that allows selective substances to penetrate into the cell. Cell membranes are consisting of lipid layer that are made up of phospholipids. (Essays, UK.2013). These phospholipids are amphipathic in nature, which have phospholipids head and tail respectively. Phospholipids heads are hydrophilic and tails

The nucleus is the control centre of a cell. It contains genetic material such as DNA and controls the cell's growth and

Despite its importance osmosis may also damage cells by causing them to; a) shrink from water loss or b) burst from too much water gain. Plant cells [fig 3] have adapted themselves to ensure that these factors do not affect them, by forming a ridged wall, known as the cell wall, around their cells. The cell wall maintains the shape of the cell, and prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic medium by resisting water pressure. Plant cells have also adapted a larger vacuole, which occupies 80% or more of the cells cytoplasm (Davidson, 2004); allowing plants to store more water and nutrients per cell. Vacuoles also play a structural role in plant cells; by swelling when liquids contact them, plant vacuoles are able to control turgor pressure within the cell. This helps maintain the structural integrity of the cell as well as providing the plant with suitable amounts of water and nutrients; however the cell will never burst because the vacuole is contained within the cell wall. If plant cells are deprived of water their vacuole will begin to shrink, yet due to the cell the wall, the plant cell will be able to maintain its shape. [fig.4] Animal cells [fig 5] on the other hand do not have this

This is made possible by the support lent to it by the slightly elastic cellulose cell wall. It will support a turgid cell enough to prevent it from bursting (see left). It is turgid cells such as this that provide a plant with its support. Animal cells on the other hand, do not have supporting cell walls, just cell membranes. As plants are always surrounded by water, it is vital for them to have cell walls, but animal cells, surrounded by blood (low water concentration), do not need as much support.

Nucleus- which is an organelle is found eukaryotic cells. The nucleus is the control point of the cell which helps control movement, eating, reproduction and also contains genetic material. The nucleus and the other organelles are surrounded by the nuclear envelope; it is similar to the cell membrane. The nucleus contains something called chromatin which is made of RNA, DNA and nuclear proteins. DNA contains genetic material and also instructions to how to make our body work properly. DNA is tied up by chromosomes. As the DNA cannot travel outside the nucleus to give instructions, it makes a smaller copy of it self which is known as RNA. The RNA which does travel from the nucleus then gets read by the ribosomes, which then proceeds on to make proteins. The main function of the nucleus is to control gene expression and to help the replication of DNA which takes place during the cell cycle.

In plants the cell membrane is surrounded by a cell wall. The cell wall is outside the cell membrane, and its purpose is to help the membrane protect and support the cell. Since the cell wall is very porous, water, oxygen,

Cells share many common features but have adapted over billions of years in a wide array of environments, to provide a variety of functional roles.

Nucleus- “the brain” or control center of the cell. The Nucleus, a membrane-bound structure of a cell, plays two crucial roles in controlling the cell. The nucleus carries the cell's genetic information that determines if the organism will develop, for instance, into a tree or a human; and it directs most cell activities including growth, metabolism, and reproduction by controlling protein synthesis. The presence of a nucleus distinguishes the more complex eukaryotic cells of plants and animals from the simpler prokaryotic cells of bacteria and cyanobacteria that lack a nucleus. The nucleus is the most predominate structure in the cell. It is typically round and occupies 10% of the cells total volume. The nucleus is wrapped in a

In regards to their basic structure, according to the SEER Training website, “cells consist of three parts: the cell membrane, the nucleus, and, between the two, the cytoplasm.” (Training.seer.cancer.gov, 2017) This is true for animal cells however plant cells contain a fourth part which is known as the cell wall, it is located on the outside of the cell membrane and allows the cell to keep its rigid shape. It should also be known that there are types of cells that do not contain a nucleus, these are called prokaryotic cells and generally still have the same characteristics as cells that do have a nucleus which are known as eukaryotic cells. (Study.com, 2017) As seen in Figure 1 cells also contain organelles which keep the cell alive and allow it to function effectively.The cytoplasm of the cell which resides between the cell membrane and the nucleus is a gel-like liquid filling the inside of the cell. The cytoplasm allows the cell to have shape and allows the cell 's organelles to move around the cell as needed and function correctly. The nucleus is widely considered to be the control center or

Organelles are the internal structures of the cell that are important for the cell to survive. Each organelle has a specific function for the cell. The types of organelles in the cell can be different from each other depending on the type of cell. Plant cells and animal cells both have a cytoskeleton, endoplasmic reticulum (smooth and rough), golgi apparatus, mitochondrion, nucleus, plasma membrane, and ribosomes. Animal and plant cells also have vacuoles, but they are rarely found in animal cells. Vacuoles in animal cells are very small compared to the vacuoles in plant cells. Lysosomes are also rarely found in plant cells but mostly found in animal cells.