Plant and Animal Cell: The cell is the basic building block of life. Cells are responsible for all aspects of life. The number of cells in an organism determines its classification. Unicellular species have only one cell, but multicellular organisms contain many cells. Unicellular organisms are thought to be one of the planet’s oldest forms of life. Over the aeons, these unicellular living forms developed into more complex multicellular species. Multicellular species have specialised cells with complex cell organelles, but unicellular organisms have not.

Plants play the role of producer in an ecosystem, while animals play the role of consumer. As a result, their everyday activities and functions, as well as their cell structure, differ. Plants and animals have different cell structures and organelles, which are largely classed depending on their function. On this page, let us discuss everything about plant and animal cells in detail. Read further to find more.

What is a Cell?

A cell is the structural and functional unit of the body. A cell is the basic unit of life. They are tiny building blocks that make up all living things. Cells are the basic unit of life and structural unit of every organism.

What are Plant and Animal Cells Called?

1. Plant Cell: Plant cells are eukaryotic cells with a true nucleus along with specialized structures called organelles that carry out certain specific functions.
2. Animal Cell: An animal cell is a type of eukaryotic cell that lacks a cell wall and has a true, membrane-bound nucleus along with other cellular organelles.

Diagram of Plant and Animal Cell

Fig: Plant Cell

Fig: Animal Cell

Learn Exam Concepts on Embibe

Plant and Animal Cell Structures

Both plant and animal cells have similar types of architecture. They are made up of cell boundaries, cytoplasm, nucleus and several cellular organelles.

Structure	Description and function
Cell Wall	1. Non-living, rigid, outer boundary. 2. Made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, lignin, etc. 3. There are many layers, like the middle layer, primary cell wall in a typical plant cell wall. 4. Fungal cell wall is made up of chitin (not cellulose). 5. Protective and provide shape and size. 6. Found only in plant cells.
Plasma Membrane	1. Living boundary of every cell. This is called unit membrane, plasmalemma, or cell membrane. 2. Made up of lipids and protein mainly. 3. The most accepted structure is called the ‘fluid mosaic’ model, proposed by Singer and Nicolson. 4. Being selectively permeable regulates the movement of molecules.
Nucleus	1. The brain of the cell. This has a double membrane surrounding the nucleoplasm. 2. The nuclear membrane contains NPC or nuclear pore complexes, which help in cytoplasm to nucleus communication. 3. It contains a network of a thread-like structure called chromatin fibres. 4. There is a dark structure inside the nucleus, called the nucleolus, which is without membrane and rich in RNA. 5. The nucleus controls metabolic activities taking place in the cell. 6. Nucleolus controls gene expression.
Mitochondria	1. Double-membrane bound, a powerhouse of the cell. 2. This is an autonomous organelle. 3. The outer membrane is smooth and the inner membrane is highly folded. 4. The inner membrane forms cristae on which oxysomes are present. 5. The matrix contains 70S ribosomes, few RNA molecules and circular, naked, dsDNA. 6. They are involved in aerobic respiration and the production of ATP. 7. Mitochondria are equipped with respiratory enzymes.
Plastids	1. Double membrane-bound structures found only in the plant cells. 2. This is an autonomous organelle. 3. There are stroma or matrix and grana or stacked discs that are involved in photosynthesis. 4. Grana are the site for photochemical reactions of photosynthesis, while stroma is the site for biochemical reactions of photosynthesis. 5. The matrix also has 70S ribosomes, few RNA and circular, naked, dsDNA. 6. Chromoplasts are coloured plastids while leucoplasts are colourless. 7. Leucoplasts are involved in storage, like amyloplasts (starch storing), elaioplast (storing fats or lipids).
Golgi Apparatus	1. It consists of smooth, flattened, membrane-bound (double-walled), sac-like structures called cisternae. 2. The cisternae are usually placed one above the other (stacked together) in parallel rows. 3. The Golgi apparatus is frequently surrounded by vesicles, which are discharged from the cisternae. 4. Secretory organelle of the cell. Packages materials synthesized in the cell and transported out of the cell. 5. Involved in the formation of lysosomes and peroxisomes. 6. Formation of acrosomes in sperms.
Endoplasmic Reticulum	1. Present in both plants and animal cells. 2. Form the biomembrane system along with the Golgi complex. 3. They are also made up of cisternae, vesicles, and tubules. 4. It may contain ribosomes on them (rough ER), or ribosomes may be absent (smooth ER). 5. Smooth ERs are involved in lipid synthesis, rough ERs are involved in protein synthesis.
Vacuoles	1. They are single membrane-bound, fluid-filled structures. 2. They are found in both plants and animal cells. Plant cells have large, central vacuole. Animal cells have smaller, many vacuoles. 3. Tonoplast is the membrane of these vacuoles. 4. They maintain turgor pressure.
Lysosomes	1. They are called suicide bags. 2. They are single membrane-bound organelles. 3. Plant cells may lack these organelles. 4. There are primary, secondary lysosomes. 5. They have strong hydrolytic enzymes which help in the digestion of cellular debris, foreign particles.
Ribosomes	1. They are ribonucleoprotein complexes, without membrane. 2. They help in protein synthesis. 3. There are two subunits, the smaller one has a sedimentation coefficient of 40S, and the larger one has 60S. 4. Cytoplasmic ribosomes of plant and animal cells have a sedimentation coefficient of the 80S. 5. Plastids and mitochondria have ribosomes of the 70S type.
Centrosome	1. They are present in the animal cells only and absent in plant cells. 2. It is located near the nucleus. 3. It contains one or two centrioles surrounded by microtubules in animal cells. 4. There are \(27\) microtubules arranged in \(9\)-triplets to the long axis (\(9+0\) arrangement). 5. It forms spindle fibres during cell division, with the help of asters.
Cytoskeletal Elements	1. These are intracellular frameworks of microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments. 2. Microtubules are composed of tubulin protein. 3. Microfilaments are composed of actin and myosin proteins. 4. Keratin, desmin, etc. are found in intermediate filaments. 5. They maintain cell shape, help in cell division.
Microbodies	1. They are fewer in number and are generally much smaller than other cellular components. 2. Peroxisomes are single membrane-bound organelles. They are involved in photorespiration. 3. Glyoxysomes are single membrane-bound organelles and are common in germinating seeds. They metabolize lipids. 4. Sphaerosomes are like the lysosomes of plant cells. They bud off from ER and contain \(40\% \) fat.
Cilia and Flagella	1. They are made up of microtubules. 2. The tubulin proteins are arranged in the \(9+2\) arrangement. 3. Both cilia and flagella are extensions of cell membrane with microtubules.

Different Plant and Animal Cell Parts

Fig: Chloroplast

Practice Exam Questions

Fig: Mitochondria

Fig: Nucleus

Fig: Plasma membrane

Fig: Centriole

Differences Between Plant and Animal Cell

The main differences between plant and animal cells are:

Plant Cell	Animal Cell
The plant cell is surrounded by a rigid, protective cell wall formed of cellulose.	There is no cell wall in animal cells.
Plastids are of three kinds- chloroplast, chromoplast and leucoplast.	Plastids are absent.
Vacuoles occupy a large space.	Vacuoles are rare and, if present, are small.
Centrioles are absent.	Centrioles and centrosomes present near the nucleus.
Lysosomes absent in plant cells.	Lysosomes present in animal cells.
Reserved food stored in the form of starch.	Reserved food stored in the form of glycogen.
Usually, they are larger than the animal cell.	Usually, smaller than a plant cell.

Attempt Mock Tests

Summary

The variation in cell content between plants and animals, as well as their structure and functions, is the source of these differences. Each sensory organ in a cell has a specific job to do. Some cell organelles are found in both plant and animal cells, whereas others are specific to one or the other. Eukaryotes, which include all plants and animals, make up the majority of the earth’s higher creatures. As a result, these cells have several characteristics in common with eukaryotes.

The cell is the structural and functional unit of the living being. Plant and animal cells are called Eukaryotic because the true nucleus is present. A typical cell has three main parts – cell boundaries and protoplasm. The main function of cell boundaries is to protect the cell and allow movement across. The protoplasm is made up of a nucleus and cytoplasm. Besides these, a cell has different cell organelles, each specialised for a particular function.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Plant and Animal Cell

Q.1. What are the parts of the Animal cell?
Ans: Cell Membrane, Nuclear Membrane, Nucleus, Centrosome, Lysosome, Cytoplasm, Golgi Apparatus, Mitochondrion, Ribosome, Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), Vacuole, Nucleopore, are the parts of the Animal cell.

Q.2. What are the parts of the Plant cell?
Ans: Cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, mitochondria, plastids, vacuole, Golgi apparatus, ribosomes, lysosomes, are the parts of the plant cell.

Q.3. Why is Chloroplast called “Kitchens of the cell”?
Ans: Chlorophyll traps the solar energy which is used for manufacturing food (photosynthesis). Chloroplasts, thus, are the sites of photosynthesis, and are, therefore, called ‘kitchens of the cell.

Q.4. What is difference between animal cell and plant cell?
Ans: The major differences between plant and animal cells are:

Plant Cell	Animal Cell
The plant cell is surrounded by a rigid, protective cell wall formed of cellulose.	There is no cell wall in animal cells.
Plastids are of three kinds- chloroplast, chromoplast and leucoplast.	Plastids are absent.
Vacuoles occupy a large space.	Vacuoles are rare and, if present, are small.
Centrioles are absent.	Centrioles and centrosomes present near the nucleus.
Lysosomes absent in plant cells.	Lysosomes present in animal cells.
Reserved food stored in the form of starch.	Reserved food stored in the form of glycogen.

Q.5. Which cell organelle is known as suicidal bags?
Ans: Lysosomes are rich in hydrolytic enzymes which help in destroying non-functional, old organelles and invading particles. This is called the suicidal bag of the cell.

Q.6. What are plant and animal cells called?
Ans: Plant and animal cells are called Eukaryotic because the true nucleus is present.

We hope this detailed article on Plant and Animal Cell is helpful to you. If you have any queries on this article, ping us through the comment box below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.