{"id":13219,"date":"2014-02-07T19:30:58","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T19:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=13219"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:35:44","slug":"plant-and-animal-cells","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/plant-and-animal-cells\/","title":{"rendered":"Difference Between Plant and Animal Cells"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_fr-AfgrDCFs\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_fr-AfgrDCFs\" data-source-videoID=\"fr-AfgrDCFs\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Difference Between Plant and Animal Cells Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Difference Between Plant and Animal Cells\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_fr-AfgrDCFs:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_fr-AfgrDCFs {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/781-difference-between-plant-and-animal-cell-2-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_fr-AfgrDCFs\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_fr-AfgrDCFs\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Difference Between Plant and Animal Cells\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_fr-AfgrDCFs\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_fr-AfgrDCFs\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_fr-AfgrDCFs\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction ijB_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"ijB\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"ijB_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"ijB\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Similar_Organelles\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Similar Organelles<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Difference_Between_Plant_and_Animal_Cells\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Difference Between Plant and Animal Cells<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Metabolism\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Metabolism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Reproduction\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Reproduction<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Review\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hi, and welcome to this video on the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells!<\/p>\n<p>To start off, let\u2019s look at the cells\u2019 size and structure.<\/p>\n<p>Both plant and animal cells are what we call <strong>eukaryotic cells<\/strong>. All eukaryotic cells have a membrane-bound nucleus and lots of membrane-bound organelles, which are smaller components of the cell that have specific jobs like keeping the cell alive and functioning.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1166\" height=\"475\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-2.png 1166w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-2-300x122.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-2-1024x417.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-2-768x313.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1166px) 100vw, 1166px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Similar_Organelles\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Similar Organelles<\/h2>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s talk about some organelles that both plant and animal cells share by starting from the center and working our way out.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Nuclear_Envelope\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nuclear Envelope<\/h3>\n<p>\nWe already mentioned that both cell types have a nucleus that stores the cell\u2019s genetic information. The nucleus is surrounded by a porous bilayer membrane called the nuclear envelope that selectively allows proteins and <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/dna\/\">DNA<\/a> in and out of the nucleus. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Endoplasmic_Reticuli\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Endoplasmic Reticuli<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe nucleus is surrounded by the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum in both types of cells. <\/p>\n<h4 style=\"margin-bottom: 0em; text-transform: uppercase;\"><span id=\"Rough_ER\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Rough ER<\/h4>\n<p>\nThe rough ER is \u201crough\u201d only because it harbors another type of organelle called <strong>ribosomes<\/strong> that act as sites for protein synthesis. The cell can use these proteins for carrying out genetic processes, sending signals, and for providing structural support for the cell. <\/p>\n<h4 style=\"margin-bottom: 0em; text-transform: uppercase;\"><span id=\"Smooth_ER\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Smooth ER<\/h4>\n<p>\nSmooth ER contains enzymes that processes <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/lipids\/\">lipids<\/a>, or fats, for cell use.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Golgi_Apparatus\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Golgi Apparatus<\/h3>\n<p>\nBoth cell types also contain the Golgi apparatus, which is responsible for modifying and sorting all kinds of proteins from the rough ER. We can think of this like a shipping and receiving center for mailing packages. From here, modified proteins will be packaged into secretory vesicles which bud from the Golgi and are then shipped within the cell or exported\/transported outside of the cell. We call these buds \u201csecretory vesicles,\u201d and both cell types have them.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Peroxisomes_and_Lysosomes\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Peroxisomes and Lysosomes<\/h3>\n<p>\nBoth cell types also have peroxisomes in the cytoplasm that break down fatty acid chains, and lysosomes that help break down other molecules so that they can be recycled and reused throughout the cell.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Mitochondria\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Mitochondria<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe last common organelle between plants and animals is mitochondria. Mitochondria are responsible for energy metabolism by generating ATP. We\u2019ll talk more about that a little bit later. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Cell_Membrane\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Cell Membrane<\/h3>\n<p>\nAlright, we\u2019ve made it to the outskirts of the cell! Although the cell membrane isn\u2019t really an organelle, it is the last similar physical feature of plant and animal cells. Just like the nucleus, both cell types are surrounded by a membrane that\u2019s known as a <strong>phospholipid bilayer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1772\" height=\"910\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87490\" style=\"box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 3px grey\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-3.png 1772w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-3-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-3-1024x526.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-3-768x394.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/plant-vs-animal-3-1536x789.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve gone over some physical similarities, let\u2019s talk about some differences. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Difference_Between_Plant_and_Animal_Cells\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Difference Between Plant and Animal Cells<\/h2>\n<p>\nMost notably, the cell membrane of a plant cell is surrounded by a cell wall that makes it rigid and helps the plant keep its form. The cell wall is also important because it has cell junction sites called <strong>plasmodesmata<\/strong> that connect one plant cell to another. Animal cells have a similar feature called <strong>desmosomes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of organelles, plant cells have a few unique components. <strong>Chloroplasts<\/strong> are probably the first thing we think of when we think about what makes plant cells unique. Chloroplasts are the site of <strong>photosynthesis<\/strong> where the sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water are turned into energy for the cell to use. Another distinct organelle to plant cells is the vacuole. <strong>Vacuoles<\/strong> usually take up a large part of the available space in the cell because they store water and other nutrients for the cell to use. If water is scarce, the vacuole will contract and the overall cell size will shrink as well. Animal cell size varies a lot depending on the tissue type, but overall, animal cells are smaller than plant cells.<\/p>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve gone over the similarities and differences of both cell types in terms of their structure, components, and size, let\u2019s talk about how each cell type metabolizes energy. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Metabolism\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Metabolism<\/h2>\n<p>\nBoth cell types directly or indirectly need light for producing energy. Plant cells and animal cells both need energy to carry out cellular processes, but they metabolize energy in different ways. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Plant_Cells_Photosynthesis\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Plant Cells: Photosynthesis<\/h3>\n<p>\nLike I mentioned before, plant cells use a process called photosynthesis, which occurs in chloroplasts, to convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight directly from the atmosphere into usable energy in the form of glucose. Let\u2019s look at the equation for photosynthesis:<\/p>\n<p>This is a balanced equation for photosynthesis. When we take six carbon dioxide molecules and hydrolyze them with six water molecules and photons from the sun, we get a usable form of energy in the form of the sugar glucose along with six molecules of oxygen that get released into the atmosphere. So when an animal eats a plant, the animal is getting that glucose from the photosynthesis reaction that it can use in its own energy metabolism. This way, animals are indirect consumers of light energy. Animal cells essentially undergo the reverse process. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Animal_Cells_Cellular_Respiration\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Animal Cells: Cellular Respiration<\/h3>\n<p>\nAnimal cells require glucose in order to gain energy in the form of ATP. There are a few processes that animals can use to generate ATP, but the main process is through an oxygen-dependent reaction called cellular respiration. <\/p>\n<p>Cellular respiration is made up of four main processes: <\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<ol style=\"margin-left: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0em;\">\n<li>Glycolysis<\/li>\n<li>The Krebs cycle (or citric acid cycle)<\/li>\n<li> Electron transport through the electron transport chain<\/li>\n<li>ATP synthesis<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nSo, when an animal eats, the glucose molecules in food will undergo <strong>glycolysis<\/strong> in the cytoplasm to convert one glucose to two molecules of pyruvic acid to be used in the Krebs cycle in mitochondria. In a bridge step, the pyruvic acid enters the mitochondrial matrix and binds to Coenzyme A to form acetyl Coenzyme A. It\u2019s then transported to the mitochondrion. <\/p>\n<p>Acetyl CoA, acting as a fuel source for the <strong>Krebs cycle<\/strong>, undergoes a series of oxidation steps. Between the two processes of glycolysis and the Krebs cycle, six CO<sub>2<\/sub> molecules, ten NADH molecules , and two FADH<sub>2<\/sub> molecules are produced in total. <\/p>\n<p>The next step involves <strong>electron transport<\/strong> in the electron transport chain where oxygen is reduced by NADH and FADH<sub>2<\/sub> to generate a proton motive force for the formation of ATP molecules. <\/p>\n<p>During cellular respiration as a whole, glucose is oxidized to produce six molecules of carbon dioxide, six molecules of water, and 36-38 molecules of <strong>ATP<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Reproduction\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Reproduction<\/h2>\n<p>\nNow that we understand the processes involved to produce energy, let\u2019s look at processes that require energy, such as reproduction. Both plant and animal cells go through similar reproductive processes. <strong>Gregor Mendel<\/strong>, the father of modern genetics, used pea plants to understand basic genetic principles about plants, and we\u2019ve since found that these principles apply to animal cells as well. <\/p>\n<p>Also remember that in animals, we have somatic cells that undergo <strong>mitosis<\/strong> and sex cells, or gametes, that undergo <strong>meiosis<\/strong>. So when we\u2019re talking about mitosis, we are talking about somatic cells only. In short, mitosis is where a diploid cell, or two copies of each chromosome, divides to form two identical diploid daughter cells. Meiosis is a process by which diploid cells undergo meiosis in two stages, meiosis I and meiosis II, resulting in four haploid gametes. Remember, diploid means that the cell has two copies of each chromosome and haploid refers to each cell having only one copy of each chromosome. <\/p>\n<p>Animal cells have <strong>gametes<\/strong> that exist as male, meaning they have an X and a Y chromosome, and gametes that exist as female, meaning they have two X chromosomes. We refer to these as sperm for males and eggs for females. Both of these cell types will undergo meiosis I and II to form four haploid cells that will become diploid cells, or zygotes, once fertilized. <\/p>\n<p>For plants, meiosis also occurs in gametes, but it\u2019s not as straightforward. Plant cells alternate generations and therefore have a different cell cycle from animal cells. For plants, there are two generations: <strong>sporophytes<\/strong> and <strong>gametophytes<\/strong>. This differs based on the type of plant, but in general, most trees and grasses you would see when you look outside your window are in the sporophyte generation, so let\u2019s start there. <\/p>\n<p>Sporophytes are diploid cells that will undergo meiosis to produce haploid spores. These spores will then undergo mitosis to form the haploid gametophyte generation. This may seem weird to have haploid cells going through mitosis since we just learned that animal cells have diploid cells that undergo mitosis to form more diploid cells, but remember that the point of mitosis is to produce genetically identical daughter cells, and in both cases, that\u2019s exactly what mitosis does. <\/p>\n<p>So we have our haploid gametophytes. The gametophyte will produce gametes for the plant cell which are called sperm and egg that are also haploid like animal cell gametes. Pollen is a good example of the male gametophyte. So when the sperm gametophyte fertilizes the egg gametophyte, it results in a diploid zygote. From here, the zygote can undergo mitosis as usual to form more sporophytes.<\/p>\n<p>Both plant and animal cells generally undergo mitosis and meiosis in similar ways. The main differences between the reproductive processes of plant and animals cells are due to structural differences. <\/p>\n<p>Plant cells don\u2019t have <strong>centrioles<\/strong> like animal cells do. While centrioles act as an anchoring site to organize microtubules that aid in pulling chromosomes apart during cell division, they are not necessary for cell division to occur. The other main structural difference has to do with the fact that plant cells have a cell wall. During <strong>cytokinesis<\/strong>, instead of forming a cleavage furrow like animal cells, plants form a cell plate in the middle of a cell. This plate consists of components from the plasma membrane and cell wall that are delivered in vesicles. <\/p>\n<p>However, the big-picture difference between plant and animal cell reproduction has to do with the fact that plant cells have a different life cycle than animal cells.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><span id=\"Review\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Review<\/h2>\n<p>\nAlright, now that we\u2019ve fully compared and contrasted plant and animal cells, let\u2019s go over a review question together.<\/p>\n<p>Of the following organelles, which ones are primarily found in animal cells?<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>Ribosomes<\/li>\n<li>Peroxisomes<\/li>\n<li>Plasma membrane<\/li>\n<li>Centrioles<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer1')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer1\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom: 15px; width: 60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>The answer is D.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Both plant and animal cells have ribosomes and peroxisomes. Even though plant cells have a cell wall, they also have a plasma membrane like animal cells. With few exceptions, only animal cells have centrioles for mitosis and meiosis. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThanks for watching, and happy studying!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/biology\/\">Return to Biology Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nfunction toggle(obj) {\n          var obj=document.getElementById(obj);\n          if (obj.style.display == \"block\") obj.style.display = \"none\";\n          else obj.style.display = \"block\";\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Biology Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99919,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-13219","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-botany-videos","7":"page_category-cell-biology-videos","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-science"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13219"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279625,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13219\/revisions\/279625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}