A plant cell and an animal cell
A tulsi plant and a street dog both need food and water. How do their cells differ?
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The rule
A tulsi cell has a wall. A dog's cell has none.
Mature means fully grown. Chloroplasts are the green parts that build food from light.
A plant cell has a cell wall. A mature plant cell usually has one large vacuole. Green plant cells also have chloroplasts. An animal cell has no wall and no chloroplasts. Both kinds usually have a membrane, a nucleus and mitochondria.
The cell wall is a stiff layer outside the membrane. The wall is made of cellulose, a tough material that plants make. The wall helps keep the plant firm. The vacuole stores water and dissolved substances. The vacuole's pressure keeps a plant cell firm.
- Both cells have a membrane and a nucleus.
- A plant cell has a wall outside its membrane.
- A mature one has one large vacuole, pressing outward.
- A green plant cell carries chloroplasts, to build food from light.
- An animal cell has no wall and no chloroplasts. Its vacuoles are small.
In strong sugar solution
Put a plant cell in strong sugar solution. Water leaves the cell. The membrane pulls away from the wall. The wall keeps the cell's shape. Water leaves an animal cell too. With no wall to hold its shape, the whole cell shrinks.