Almost all living organisms are composed of cells. The features of life and the level of organization of all representatives of nature depend on the structural features of these smallest structures. In our article, we will examine how the bacterial cell differs from the plant cell and what are the principles of their work.
Plant cell composition
The surface apparatus of these plant structures is represented by a cell wall, which is characterized by strength and rigidity due to the content of cellulose carbohydrate in it. Permanent cellular structures are located in the internal environment (cytoplasm). They are called organelles. The largest of these is vacuole. This is the cavity that is filled with water with dissolved nutrients. The composition of the plant cell is also represented by such structures as the nucleus, chloroplast plastids, mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum with ribosomes, the Golgi complex, and lysosomes.
The similarity of bacterial and plant cells
In general terms, the structure of the plant and bacterial cells has a number of similar features. What structures are common to such different organisms? First of all, it is the presence of a cell wall and membrane, genetic material, and cytoplasm. The structure of the plant and bacterial cells is also characterized by a number of common structures: ribosomes, centrioles, lysosomes. Both have organelles of movement. In unicellular green alga chlamydomonas and in convoluted spirochete, they are flagella.
Plant tissue
Bacteria are purely unicellular organisms. But plant organisms in this regard are more diverse. They can consist of a single cell, like the green alga chlorella, or form colonies, like volvox. But the vast majority of plants are formed by tissues. These structures are a collection of cells that are identical in structure and function. Their several types are combined into organs. So, the leaf of the plant is formed by the cells of the integumentary, conductive, mechanical and basic tissues.
Structural features of prokaryotic cells
And now let's figure out how a bacterial cell differs from a plant cell. Let's start with the chemical composition of the surface apparatus. The cell wall of plants includes cellulose, and bacteria - murein or pectin. All of them are complex carbohydrates. By the structure of the genetic material, bacteria are prokaryotes. This means that they do not have a shaped nucleus, like the cells of plants, animals or fungi. In the bacterial cell is the only ring DNA molecule - the nucleoid. This structure provides the easiest method of reproduction - division into two.
What is the difference between a bacterial cell and a plant cell by the characteristics of its internal contents? She is more primitive. Bacterial cells lack mitochondria, EPS, Golgi complex and all types of plastids. The last type of organelle determines the type of nutrition of organisms. Plants are capable of photosynthesis, as their cells contain green chloroplast plastids. On their inner surface, a complex chemical transformation of inorganic substances into carbohydrate glucose occurs, which plants use as an energy source, and oxygen. Most bacteria by type of nutrition are heterotrophs. They are able to absorb only finished organic matter. Moreover, large macromolecules cannot penetrate through their membrane. Therefore, bacteria only absorb pre-cleaved organic substances dissolved in water and lipoids. Chemotrophs are also found among them, which receive energy by splitting chemical bonds.
Vital activity of prokaryotes
This structure of the bacterial cell also determines the features of its vital activity. The main method of reproduction of these organisms is bisection. Despite the fact that this method is one of the simplest, it is characterized by high productivity. So, one cell forms up to a million such individuals in just ten hours. Bacteria are also capable of spore formation. Most often this happens when adverse conditions occur. In this case, the mother cell is destroyed. But the spore can be affected for a long time by both low temperatures and boiling. This device has a protective value.
So, in the article we examined the difference between a bacterial cell and a plant cell. First of all, this is the structure of the genetic apparatus. Bacteria have no formed nucleus, and the genetic material is represented by a ring DNA molecule. The main differences also concern the chemical composition of the cell wall, the method of nutrition, and the presence of many organelles.