Differences between Plant and Animal Cells (with Diagrams)

Vaia – The all-in-one study app.

4.8 • +11k Ratings

More than 3 Million Downloads

Free

Americas

Europe

Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free.

Save the explanation now and read when you’ve got time to spare.

Save

Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persönlichen Lernstatistiken

Jetzt kostenlos anmelden

Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen.

Jetzt kostenlos anmelden

Did you know that every living organism, big or small, is made up of tiny building blocks called cells? Whether it’s a gigantic elephant or a tiny ant, cells are the backbone of life. You might know that prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are significantly different, but have you ever wondered what sets plant and animal cells apart? From chloroplasts to vacuoles, get ready to explore the fascinating differences between these two cell types and discover how they condition what they can and cannot do. So buckle up, grab your magnifying glass, and join us on this exciting journey through the microscopic world.

Together with fungal and protozoan cells, animal and plant cells are the main types of eukaryotic cells that exist. Even though plant and animal cells have several aspects in common, there are key structural differences that make them behave differently, as we will see later in the article.

The following table details the presence or absence of different important organelles and other key structures in animal and plant cells:

Organelle	Plant Cell	Animal Cell
Plasma membrane	Yes	Yes
Cell wall	Yes, made of cellulose*	No
Nucleus and nucleolus	Yes	Yes
Rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER)	Yes	Yes
Golgi apparatus	Yes	Yes
Plastids*	Yes	No
Mitochondria	Yes	Yes
Ribosomes	Yes	Yes
Cytoskeleton	Yes, but lack centrioles and centrosomes	Yes
Peroxisomes and lysosomes	Yes	Yes
Amylopasts	Yes	No
Lysosomes	No	Yes
Peroxisomes	Yes	Yes
Vacuole(s)	Yes – one large vacuole that occupies most of the cytoplasm	Yes – several small and dynamic vacuoles that do not occupy too much space within the cell

Cellulose is a long-chain molecule made up of glucose units.

Plastids: plastids are organelles that contain pigment and perform photosynthesis. Chloroplasts are plastids that contain chlorophyll, which absorbs light energy from the sun and uses it to convert carbon dioxide into organic matter such as glucose.

Amyloplasts are colourless vesicle-like organelles which store starch.

Lysosomes are a type of membrane-bound organelle which contain hydrolytic enzymes capable of breaking down complex molecules like proteins or carbohydrates, and are only present in animal cells. Peroxisomes might look similar under the microscope, but they contain enzymes that help cells neutralise and protect themselves from reactive oxygen species, and are present in plant and animal cells.

To learn more about organelles, please visit our articles Plant Cell Organelles or Cell Organelles.

Let’s take a closer look at the structures of plant and animal cells. Can you tell how to distinguish both types of cell by looking at the diagram below?

As you can see from the diagram, plant and animal cells look very different. Thus, there are simple ways to distinguish both of them:

Fig. 2. Turgid, flaccid and plasmolysed plant cells. Plant cells can transition through these stages depending on the amount of water they can absorb.

When looking through a microscope, what cell are you looking at?

We must be able to tell the difference between plant and animal cells. One simple way we can do this is by looking for the presence of a vacuole. When looking through a microscope or at an image of a cell, this will appear as a large space taking up most of the cell. If we can see this, then it must be a plant cell.

Remember that plant cells also have a cell wall; this may appear rigid when compared to the cell membrane of an animal cell. However, the presence of a cell wall does not exclude fungal cells or prokaryotic cells if these are options!

Fig. 3. Example of a plant cell sample under the microscope. The green dots in the image are chloroplasts. Depending on the type of sample preparation, you might be able to see the chloroplasts, the vacuole, the cell wall, or all of these characteristics of plant cells. Source: Flickr.

If looking at an image in colour, chloroplasts may also be present in a plant cell. Animal cells do not carry out photosynthesis and so do not have chloroplasts. These will appear green on an image.

It’s common for schools to ask students to label a plant and/or animal cell diagram. Each cell has it’s peculiarities as we have seen above, but the organelles and other cell structures have such peculiar shapes that you’ll be sure to identify each one quickly once you’ve tried once or twice.

As you can see, a labeled diagram of a plant cell typically includes the following structures: cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplasts, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, peroxisomes, and a central vacuole.

Fig. 4. Labelled plant cell diagram. Take note of the shape and location of each organelle and the shape of the cell.

From the diagram below, you can see that a labeled diagram of an animal cell typically includes the following structures: cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, centrosomes, and cytoskeleton.

Drawing plant and animal cells

When learning how to draw animal and plant cells, you can follow these steps to ensure you understand the various cells!

Remember to include the organelles found in plant cells that are not in animal cells.

Look at all the diagrams in this article to help with the drawing.

Another way to test your knowledge on animal and plant cells is to take a pre-drawn empty diagram of each type of cell and label the organelles that appear in both. You can start with the ones in these diagrams:

No cheating! Try to fill out the diagram without looking at the labelled diagrams above.

Fig.6. Can you remember which type of cell this is, and what organelles the arrows are pointing at?

Fig. 7. Can you remember which type of cell this is, and what organelles the arrows are pointing at?

Plant and animal cells have a few similarities, starting with the fact that they are both eukaryotic cells. This means that they both have a nucleus containing the genetic information in the form of DNA, and membrane-bound organelles. As we have seen in this article, though, the type and number of organelles can significantly differ between animal and plant cells.

However, as any cell, plant and animal cells tick all the boxes that characterise the basic unit of life:

Both animal and plant cells are surrounded by a cell membrane, a thin layer that helps protect the cell and regulate what goes in and out. This means that their nucleus is membrane-bound.

Animal and plant cells create incredibly different organisms, with different characteristics, requirements and abilities. This difference already starts at the cellular level, in particular, it starts at the level of cell structure, which we have already covered. The structural differences like the presence of a cell wall in plant cells, or of centrioles in animal cells then end up giving the different functionalities of each cell type.

Remember: structure always conditions function!

Other differences between plant and animal cells include motility, cell division, photosynthesis capacity and shape.

Remember that plant cells contain a permanent vacuole or cell wall, while animal cells do not!

Animals and plants have millions of cells. Humans, for example, have 40 trillion on average, and as old ones die, new ones reproduce, with us barely noticing.

Plant cells contain a vacuole, chloroplasts and a cell wall. Animal cells do not have these organelles, but have centrioles, lysosomes and centrosomes.

Plant cells have a cell wall made of cellulose, a big vacuole which takes up most of the cell’s cytoplasm, and chloroplasts, which allow plants to photosynthesise.

Animal cells do not have a cell wall.

Animal cells have centrosomes and lysosomes, whilst plants do not. Centrosomes are involved in mitosis, and lysosomes are involved in breaking down complex molecules.

Another name for animal and plant cells is eukaryotic cells. Both animal and plant cells are part of the eukaryotic cell group.

Question

Which of the following is found in animal cells but not plant cells?

Show answer

Answer

Vacuole

Show question

Question

Are ribosomes found in animal or plant cells?

Show answer

Answer

Ribosomes are found in animal cells and plant cells.

Show question

Question

Why do animal cells not have chloroplasts?

Show answer

Answer

Animal cells do not contain chloroplasts as they do not photosynthesize.

Show question

Question

Are animal cells larger or smaller than plant cells?

Show answer

Answer

Animal cells and plant cells are a very similar size.

Show question

Question

What organelles are found in animal cells but not plant cells?

Show answer

Answer

Centrosomes and lysosomes are found in animal cells but not plant cells.

Show question

Question

Are cell walls only found in plant cells?

Show answer

Answer

No, cell walls can be found in fungal cells and prokaryotic cells as well as plant cells.

Show question

Question

What is the function of chloroplasts in plant cells?

Show answer

Answer

Chloroplasts are the location for photosynthesis in plant cells.

Show question

Question

How could we differentiate between plant and animal cells?

Show answer

Answer

To determine whether a cell is a plant cell or animal cell, we should look for a cell wall, permanent vacuole or chloroplasts. If any of these are present, we are looking at a plant cell, if not, we are looking at an animal cell.

Show question

Question

What is the largest organelle in a plant cell?

Show answer

Answer

The permanent vacuole is the largest organelle in the plant cell.

Show question

Question

What is the largest organelle in the animal cell?

Show answer

Answer

The nucleus is the largest organelle in the animal cell.