Question of the Day?

• Why would plant and animal cells have some similarities and some differences??

• Hmmm… Think about the differences in each organisms way of life….

Here are some similarities…. now what are the differences??

THE PLANT CELL

1) Only Plants have a Large Central Vacuole

• Storage tank for cell food (proteins, carbohydrates, salt, water) or waste products

• filled with liquid• FUNCTION: These plant-cell vacuoles provide

plants with structural support during rapid growth.

• NOTE: Because animals need to move around and often have skeletal systems they would not benefit by having the type of liquid vacuole found in plant cells. this would make cells quite rigid and less flexible.

•

2) Plant cells have a Cell Wall.

• For example, plants have rigid cell body walls, and animals do not.

• Why?? Because animals are mobile creatures, these rigid walls would most likely be maladaptive.

3)The Chloroplast

• are specialized to capture light energy for conversion into energy-storing compounds.

• Contain green chlorophyll

• Animals don't use light energy to synthesize sugars, obtaining them instead from the other organisms they eat.

THE ANIMAL CELL

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/biology/cells/

4) Only animal cells have centrioles!

Animal cells have centrioles to help with cell division. Plant cells do not have them

• To look at division in plants and animal cells…http://www.iknow.net/CDROMs/cell_cdrom/cellmovies.shtml

In “3D”

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5 & 6) Flagella and Lysosomes are not usually found in plant cells

Summary of Differences: Plants vs. Animal Cells

Organelle Plants Animals

Chloroplast

Cell Wall

Large Central Vacuole

Lysosomes

Flagella and cilia

Centriole

Summary of Differences: Plants vs. Animal Cells

Organelle Plants Animals

Chloroplast YES Nope

Cell Wall YES Nope

Large Central Vacuole

YES YES but smaller

Lysosomes Not usually present YES

Flagella and cilia Not usually present YES

Centriole Nope YES

There are more similarities than differences between plants and animal cells..

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Trachea Cell

Good Review Page

• http://www.sirinet.net/~jgjohnso/cell.html