Many key differences between plants and animals stem from structural differences at the cellular level. Some have some details that others have, and vice versa. Before we find the main difference between an animal cell and a plant cell (table later in the article), let's find out what they have in common, and then explore what makes them different.
Animals and plants
Are you hunched over in your chair reading this article? Try to sit up straight, stretch your arms to the sky and stretch. Feeling good, right? Like it or not, you are an animal. Your cells are soft clumps of cytoplasm, but you can use your muscles and bones to stand and move around. Heterotrophs, like all animals, must receive food from other sources. If you feel hungry or thirsty, you just need toget up and walk to the fridge.
Now think about plants. Imagine a tall oak or tiny blades of grass. They stand upright with no muscles or bones, but they cannot afford to go anywhere to get food and drink. Plants, autotrophs, create their own products using the energy of the sun. The difference between an animal cell and a plant cell in Table 1 (see below) is obvious, but there is also much in common.
General characteristics
Plant and animal cells are eukaryotic, and this is already a great similarity. They have a membrane-bound nucleus that contains the genetic material (DNA). A semi-permeable plasma membrane surrounds both types of cells. Their cytoplasm contains many of the same parts and organelles, including ribosomes, Golgi complexes, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and peroxisomes, to name a few. While plant and animal cells are eukaryotic and have many similarities, they also differ in several ways.
Features of plant cells
Now let's look at the features of plant cells. How can most of them stand upright? This ability is due to the cell wall that surrounds the shells of all plant cells, provides support and rigidity, and often gives them a rectangular or even hexagonal appearance when viewed under a microscope. All these structuralunits have a rigid regular shape and contain many chloroplasts. The walls can be several micrometers thick. Their composition varies among plant groups, but they are usually composed of carbohydrate cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of proteins and other carbohydrates.
Cell walls help maintain strength. The pressure created by the absorption of water contributes to their stiffness and allows for vertical growth. Plants are not able to move from place to place, so they need to make their own food. An organelle called a chloroplast is responsible for photosynthesis. Plant cells may contain several of these organelles, sometimes hundreds.
Chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane and contain stacks of membrane-bound discs in which sunlight is absorbed by special pigments and this energy is used to power the plant. One of the best known structures is the large central vacuole. This organelle occupies most of the volume and is surrounded by a membrane called the tonoplast. It stores water, as well as potassium and chloride ions. As the cell grows, the vacuole absorbs water and helps elongate the cells.
Differences between an animal cell and a plant cell (Table No. 1)
Plant and animal structural units have some differences and similarities. For example, the former do not have a cell wall and chloroplasts, they are round andirregularly shaped, while vegetative ones have a fixed rectangular shape. Both are eukaryotic, so they share a number of common features, such as the presence of a membrane and organelles (nucleus, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum). So, let's look at the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells in Table 1:
| Animal cage | Plant cell | |
| Cell wall | missing | present (formed from cellulose) |
| Shape | round (wrong) | rectangular (fixed) |
| Vacuole | one or more small ones (much smaller than in plant cells) | One large central vacuole occupies up to 90% of the cell volume |
| Centrioles | present in all animal cells | present in lower plant forms |
| Chloroplasts | no | Plant cells have chloroplasts because they make their own food |
| Cytoplasm | is | is |
| Ribosome | present |
present |
| Mitochondria | available | available |
| Plastids | missing | present |
| Endoplasmic reticulum (smooth and rough) | is | is |
| Golgi Apparatus | available | available |
| Plasma membrane | present | present |
| Flagella | can be found in some cells | can be found in some cells |
| Lysosomes | is in the cytoplasm | not usually visible |
| Kernels | present | present |
| Eyelashes | present in abundance | plant cells do not contain cilia |
Animals vs Plants
What kind of conclusion does the table “The difference between an animal cell and a plant cell” make? Both are eukaryotic. They have true nuclei where the DNA resides and are separated from other structures by a nuclear membrane. Both types have similar reproductive processes, including mitosis and meiosis. Animals and plants need energy to grow and maintain normal cellular function through respiration.
Both there are structures known as organelles, which are specialized to carry out functions necessary for normal functioning. The presented differences between an animal cell and a plant cell in Table No. 1 are supplemented by some common features. It turns out they have a lot in common. Both have some of the same components, including nuclei, the Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, mitochondria, and so on.
Whatdifference between a plant cell and an animal cell?
Table 1 shows the similarities and differences quite briefly. Let's look at these and other points in more detail.
- Size. Animal cells are usually smaller than plant cells. The former are 10 to 30 micrometers in length, while plant cells range in length from 10 to 100 micrometers.
- Shape. Animal cells come in a variety of sizes and are usually round or irregular in shape. Plants are more similar in size and tend to be rectangular or cubic in shape.
- Energy storage. Animal cells store energy in the form of complex carbohydrates (glycogen). Plants store energy in the form of starch.
- Differentiation. In animal cells, only stem cells are able to pass into other cell types. Most types of plant cell are incapable of differentiation.
- Height. Animal cells increase in size due to the number of cells. Plants absorb more water in the central vacuole.
- Centrioles. Animal cells contain cylindrical structures that organize the assembly of microtubules during cell division. Vegetables generally do not contain centrioles.
- Eyelashes. They are found in animal cells but are not common in plant cells.
- Lysosomes. These organelles contain enzymes that digest macromolecules. Plant cells rarely contain lysosomes, this function is performed by the vacuole.
- Plastids. Animal cells do not have plastids. plant cellscontain plastids, such as chloroplasts, which are essential for photosynthesis.
- Vacuole. Animal cells may have many small vacuoles. Plant cells have a large central vacuole that can occupy up to 90% of the cell volume.
Structurally, plant and animal cells are very similar, they contain membrane-bound organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes and peroxisomes. Both also contain similar membranes, cytosol, and cytoskeletal elements. The functions of these organelles are also very similar. However, the slight difference between a plant cell and an animal cell (table No. 1) that exists between them is very significant and reflects the difference in the functions of each cell.
So, we compared plant and animal cells, finding out what are their similarities and differences. Common are the structure plan, chemical processes and composition, division and genetic code.
At the same time, these smallest units are fundamentally different in the way they eat.
