Organelles Function Quiz

Organelles in Plant and Animal Cells

• Cell Membrane: Present in both plant and animal cells, acting as a barrier that controls entry and exit of substances.
• Plant Cells: Contain a rigid cell wall that supports shape and offers protection from damage.

Models of Cells

• James uses a balloon filled with water to represent a large vacuole in a plant cell.
• Marbles symbolize ribosomes in his cell model, indicating their tiny size relative to other organelles.

Key Organelles and Their Functions

• Golgi Apparatus: In both plant and animal cells, responsible for packaging and distributing proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum.
• Vacuole: Larger in plant cells, this organelle stores waste products, including herbicides absorbed by the plant.
• Lysosome: Contains digestive enzymes that break down waste material and debris in the cell.
• Chloroplasts: Unique to plant cells, they utilize light energy to produce food through photosynthesis.

Unique Cellular Components

• Cell Wall and Chloroplasts are exclusive to plant cells, playing roles in structural integrity and energy conversion.
• The nucleus is the control center found in both plant and animal cells, housing genetic material.

Distinctions between Plant and Animal Cells

• Vacuoles are more prominent and larger in plant cells, while many animal cells contain smaller vacuoles.
• The presence of organelles like the cell wall and chloroplasts distinguish plant cells from animal cells, which lack these structures.