From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

 

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Plant versus animal cells

Students will think it is pretty easy to distinguish plants from animals, and in most cases it is. Things get a little shaky when we start trying to classify bacteria, viruses, single-celled marine organisms, etc. But if we stick to the basics we can make some generalizations.

Three characteristic structures distinguish plant cells from animal cells:
  • Plant cells are bounded by both a cell membrane and a rigid cell wall. Animal cells have only a cell membrane.

  • Plant cells contain structures called plastids. The most common plastids are chloroplasts (Gr. khloros = greenish-yellow); these contain the green pigment chlorophyll, which is essential for photosynthesis. Animal cells do not contain plastids.

  • Plant cells contain vacuoles. Although different kinds of vacuoles serve different functions in the plant, all are important storage facilities. The enlargement of vacuoles results in an increase in cell size. This is a relatively cheap way-with respect to energy-for the plant to grow. Animal cells, on the other hand, do not contain vacuoles.


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