DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANIMAL CELLS AND PLANT CELLS

    DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANIMAL CELLS AND PLANT CELLS

Introduction

  Both animals and plants, however small they may be, are made of cells. There are those that are made of a single cell and others are made of multiple cells. Those that are made of a single cells are referred to as unicellular organisms while those made of multiple cells are known as multicellular organisms. Therefore the cell is known as basic unit of life. Though there are other reasons why animals and plants are different, cell is the one that is responsible of their most differences. Animal cells and plant cells differs in both their shapes and contents. “The contents of any particular cell are often referred to as PROTOPLAST.”[1] In order to see their differences, these cells must be viewed through an instrument known as microscope. When viewed through this instrument the following differences are seen;

1. Difference in central vacuole

 Plant cells are seen to have a larger vacuole located at the centre of the cell

Plant cells have one large cell vacuole which is located at the centre of the cell. The functions of the cell vacuole is to store water for the cell processes. When combined with the cell wall, vacuoles are responsible of turgidity in the plants. Having large vacuoles is very important in plant cells since they store large amount of water since plants cannot move from one place to another in search of water.

On the other hand, animal cells have one or more small vacuoles which also stores water.http://www.essay-writer.biz/ Other roles of vacuoles in animal cells is to store wastes and ions. Storing water is not a major role of vacuoles in animal cells since animals can move from one place to another in search of water. Therefore they are small than those found in plant cells.

2. Presence of cell wall in plant cells but lacks in animal cells

Plant cells differs from animal cells in that plant cells have cell wall and cell membrane enclosing them. These cell walls provides tensile strength and also they are responsible of structural support in the plants. Though they are rigid, they control substances passing through them. They give plants characteristics of their hardness.

Animal cells lacks cell walls and they only have cell membranes. Unlike in plants, animal cells lacks structural support and this is the reason why they are seen to be round in shape. Control of entrance of substances in animal cells is done by cell membrane.

3. Plant cells have chloroplasts while animal cells lacks chloroplasts.

Plant cells have chloroplasts which are sites where photosynthesis takes place. “Plastids are microscopic organelles found in plant cells such as leukoplasts in which starch granules develop, chloroplasts which contain the chlorophyll (green pigment) of plants, and chromoplasts which contains other pigment.”[2] These helps the plant in making their own food. The number of chloroplasts that is varies with the size of plants. Bigger plants have large number of chloroplasts in their cells than small plants.

Since animals do not make their own food and there is no need of photosynthesis processes in their cells, animal cells lacks chloroplasts.

Conclusion

The differences in the cells are reflected in the whole organisms. The characteristics of organisms leads to the differences in their cells. Example, since plants makes their own food through a process of photosynthesis, chloroplast is required in their cells in order to enhance this process. These differences in plants and animals lead the early researchers to carryout different experiments using different instruments like light microscopes and came up with all these differences.

                                          Bibliography

Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Botany fifth edition: “The Cell the Basic of Life” USA: Holt, Rinehart and Winston publishers, 1972

 Giese, Arthur, Cell Physiology Third Edition: “The Structure and Function of Cell Organelles” London: W.B. Saunders Company, 1968

[1] Holt, Rinehart and Winston Botany fifth edition: The Cell the Basic of Life (USA: Holt, Rinehart and Winston publishers, 1972) ,48

[2] Giese C.A. Cell Physiology Third Edition: the structure and function of cell organelles( London: W.B. Saunders Company, 1968),124