Many key differences between plants and animals originate in structural differences at the cellular level. Some have some of the 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 examine what makes them different.
Animals and plants
Are you hunched in a chair reading this article? Try to sit upright, stretch your arms to the sky and stretch. Feeling good right? Whether you like it or not, you are an animal. Your cells are soft clots of the cytoplasm, but you can use your muscles and bones to stand on your feet and move around. Hetorotrophs, like all animals, must be fed from other sources. If you feel hungry or thirsty, you just need to get up and walk to the refrigerator.
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 somewhere 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 No. 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 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, and others. While plant and animal cells are eukaryotic and have much in common, they also differ in several ways.
Plant Cell Features
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 membranes of all plant cells, provides support and rigidity, and often gives them a rectangular or even hexagonal appearance when observed under a microscope. All these structural units have a rigid regular shape and contain many chloroplasts. Walls can be several micrometers thick. Their composition varies depending on plant groups, but they usually consist of carbohydrate cellulose fibers immersed in a matrix of proteins and other carbohydrates.
Cell walls help maintain strength. The pressure created by the absorption of water contributes to their rigidity and makes it possible for vertical growth. Plants are not able to move from place to place, so they need to make their own food. An organella called chloroplast is responsible for photosynthesis. Plant cells may contain several such organelles, sometimes hundreds.
Chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane and contain stacks of membrane-bound disks in which sunlight is absorbed with special pigments, and this energy is used to power the plant. One of the most famous 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 to lengthen the cells.
Differences between animal cells and plant cells (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 and irregular in shape, while plant ones have a fixed rectangular shape. Both are eukaryotic, so they have a number of common features, such as the presence of a membrane and organelles (nucleus, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum). So, we consider the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells in table No. 1:
| Animal cage | Plant cell |
| Cell wall | is absent | present (formed from cellulose) |
| The form | 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 |
| Centrioli | present in all animal cells | present in lower plant forms |
| Chloroplasts | no | Plant cells have chloroplasts because they create their own food |
| Cytoplasm | there is | there is |
| Ribosomes | are present | are present
|
| Mitochondria | are available | are available |
| Plastids | are absent | are present |
| Endoplasmic reticulum (smooth and rough) | there is | there is |
| Golgi apparatus | is available | is available |
| Plasma membrane | is present | is present |
| Flagella |
can be found in some cells | can be found in some cells |
| Lysosomes | is in the cytoplasm | usually not visible |
| Kernels | are present | are present |
| Cilia | present in large numbers | plant cells do not contain cilia |
Animals versus plants
What does the table “Difference of an animal cell from a plant” allow to draw a conclusion? Both are eukaryotic. They have real nuclei where the DNA is located and are separated from other structures by a nuclear membrane. Both types have similar processes in reproduction, including mitosis and meiosis. Animals and plants need energy, they must grow and maintain normal cellular function in the process of respiration.
Both there and there are structures known as organelles, which are specialized for performing the functions necessary for normal functioning. The presented differences of the animal cell from the plant cell in table No. 1 are supplemented by some common features. It turns out they have a lot in common. Both of them have some of the same components, including the nucleus, Golgi complex, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, mitochondria, and so on.
What is the difference between a plant cell and an animal?
In table No. 1, similarities and differences are presented quite briefly. Consider these and other points in more detail.
- The size. Animal cells are usually smaller than plant cells. The former are 10 to 30 micrometers in length, while plant cells have a length range of 10 to 100 micrometers.
- The form. Animal cells come in various sizes and are usually round or irregular in shape. Vegetable is more similar in size and, as a rule, have a rectangular or cubic shape.
- Energy storage. Animal cells store energy in the form of complex carbohydrates (glycogen). Vegetables store energy in the form of starch.
- Differentiation. In animal cells, only stem cells are able to transfer to other types of cells. Most plant cell species are not capable of differentiation.
- Height. Animal cells increase in size due to the number of cells. Vegetables absorb more water in the central vacuole.
- Centrioli Animal cells contain cylindrical structures that organize the assembly of microtubules during cell division. Vegetable, as a rule, do not contain centrioles.
- Cilia. 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, a vacuole performs this function.
- Plastids. Animal cells do not have plastids. Plant cells contain plastids, such as chloroplasts, which are necessary for photosynthesis.
- Vacuole. Animal cells can have many small vacuoles. Plant cells have a large central vacuole, which 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 the plant cell and the animal (table No. 1) that exist between them is very significant and reflects the difference in the functions of each cell.
So, we made a comparison of plant and animal cells, finding out what are their similarities and differences. Common are the structural plan, chemical processes and composition, division and genetic code.
At the same time, these smallest units are fundamentally different in the way they are fed.