Cell Biology: Plant and Animal Cells

Cell Structures and Their Definitions

• Chloroplast: Found in plant cells; responsible for photosynthesis, allowing plants to convert sunlight into energy.
• Flagellum: A tail-like structure in animal cells that enables movement; important for motility in certain cell types, such as sperm.
• Nucleus: Present in both plant and animal cells; serves as the control center containing genetic material (DNA).
• Cell Wall: Unique to plant cells; a rigid outer layer providing structure and protection, made primarily of cellulose.
• Cilia: Short, hair-like structures in animal cells that assist in movement and transport of substances across the cell surface.
• Mitochondrion: Found in both plant and animal cells; known as the powerhouse of the cell, generating ATP through cellular respiration.
• Large Central Vacuole: Characteristic of plant cells; stores nutrients, waste products, and helps maintain turgor pressure for structural support.
• Lysosomes: Organelles found in animal cells; contain enzymes for digestion and waste processing, crucial for cellular cleanup.
• Cytoplasm: Gel-like fluid present in both cell types; provides a medium for chemical reactions and houses organelles.
• Food Vacuoles: Found in animal cells; storage organelles that contain ingested food particles, aiding in digestion.
• Nucleolus: Present in both plant and animal cells within the nucleus; involved in the production of ribosomes.
• Golgi Body: Apparatus found in both cell types; responsible for modifying, sorting, and packaging proteins and lipids for delivery.
• Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): Found in plant and animal cells; involved in lipid synthesis and detoxification processes.
• Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): Present in both cell types; studded with ribosomes, processes and transports proteins.
• Ribosomes: Essential components in both plant and animal cells; sites of protein synthesis, can be free-floating or attached to the rough ER.
• Cell Membrane: A critical structure in both plant and animal cells; regulates the movement of substances in and out of the cell, maintaining homeostasis.