Plant Cell vs Animal Cell Quiz

Plant Cell vs Animal Cell

• Plant cells have a cell wall, animal cells do not
• Plant cells have a large central vacuole, animal cells have small vacuoles or none
• Plant cells contain chloroplasts, animal cells do not
• Animal cells have centrioles (a cell organelle), plant cells do not

Cell Wall

• The cell wall is a rigid outer layer of plant cells
• It provides support and shape to the plant
• It is non-living
• It's composed of cellulose, a water-loving substance, it's in the form of fibers
• Primary cell wall: expandable, allows cell growth
• Secondary cell wall: forms after cell growth, provides support

Cell Wall Structure

• Middle lamella: sticky layer between adjacent cell walls, composed of calcium and magnesium
• Primary cell wall: not arranged in an orderly manner, includes pit fields (primary pit fields)
  • Contains pits, which allow communication between cells via plasmodesmata (connections between cells)
• Secondary cell wall: develops in cells that have stopped growing, provides support
• Suberin (waxy) is part of the secondary cell wall and has a different function

Types of Pits

• Simple pit: one pit
• Compound pit: two pits
• Arrayed pit: multiple pits
• Common pit: no opposite pit