Cells

Meghan D.

Animal Cell

Plant Cell

Vocabulary

 Nucleus-The nucleus directs all of the cell's activities, including reproduction.

Endoplasmic Reticulum- This network of passageways carries materials from one pat of the cell to another.

Cell Wall- In a plant cell, a stiff wall surrounds the membrane, giving the cell a rigid, boxlike shape.

Chloroplasts- These organelles capture energy from sunlight and use it to produce food for the cell.

Vacuole- Most mature plant cells have one large vacuole.  This sac within the cytoplasm stores water, food, waste products, and other materials.

Cell Membrane- The cell membrane protects the cell and regulates what substances enter and leave the cell.

Golgi Body- The Golgi bodies receive materials from the endoplasmic reticulum and send them to other parts of the cell.  They also release materials outside the cell.

Lysosomes- These small organelles contain chemicals that break down food particles and worn-out cell parts.

Mitochondria- Most of the cell's energy is produced within these rod-shaped organelles.

Cytoplasm- The cytoplasm includes a gel-like fluid in which many different organelles are found.

Ribosome- These small structures function as factories to produce proteins.  Ribosome may be attached to the endoplasmic reticulum, or they may float in the cytoplasm.

Essay

         Plant and animal cells are pretty similar, but they are also very different.  A plant cell has eleven organelles inside of it, as an animal cell has ten.  This is so because a plant cell has a cell wall.  A cell wall is stiff wall that surrounds the membrane, giving the cell a rigid, boxlike shape.  Animal cells only have a cell membrane,  they do not have anything surrounding them. Also, animal cells have chloroplasts.  Plant cells do not have chloroplasts, but they do have lysosomes, which an animal cell does not have.  As a result, plant and animal cells are both alike and different.

Work Cited

Cronkite, Ph.D., Donald. Science Explorer, Cells and Heredity. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005.(Cronkite, Ph.D. 20-21)

Fiore, Carrie. Personal interview. .