Cell Structure: Animals, Fungi & Plants
- Eukaryotic cells exist in three kingdoms
- The animal kingdom
- The plant kingdom
- The fungal kingdom
- The cells of each of these possess unique characteristics and structures that contribute to their differences
Differences in eukaryotic cell structure
Cell walls
- Animal cell do not have a cell wall
- Plant cell walls are composed of the polysaccharide cellulose
- Fungal cell walls are made up mainly of glucans, chitin and glycoproteins
Vacuoles
- Vacuoles can be present in animal cells but they tend to be small, temporary and numerous when present with unique functions
- Plant cells have large permanent vacuoles used for the storage of various substances
- Like animal cells, fungal cells can contain vacuoles but they are small and non-permanent
Chloroplasts
- Animal cells do not have chloroplasts
- Plant cells possess many chloroplasts used for the production of carbohydrates through photosynthesis
- Fungal cells do not have chloroplasts
Presence of centrioles
- Animal cells do contain centrioles used in the role of microtubule organisation during cell division
- Plant cells do not possess centrioles
- Fungal cells do not possess centrioles
Presence of cilia and flagella
- Animal cells can have cilia and flagella, associated with a basal body (a protein structure from which the cilia are assembled), and are used in various functions such as the movement of an egg cell through the oviduct or the movement of fluids in the respiratory tract
- Plant cells do not contain cilia or flagella
- True fungi do not contain cilia or flagella
Other differences
- Animal and fungal cells store their carbohydrates as glycogen, whereas plants so carbohydrates as starch
- Animal cells are flexible as they lack a rigid cell wall, whereas plant cells have a fixed shape. Fungal cells, although they have a cell wall, can be flexible and their shape may vary