Animal & Plant Cells (AQA GCSE Biology: Combined Science)

• Eukaryotic cells have subcellular structures, each carrying out a particular function
• Organelles are subcellular ‘compartments’ where specific processes take place within the cell

• The main subcellular structures in animal cells are:
  • The nucleus
  • Cell membranes
  • Mitochondria
  • Ribosomes
  • Cytoplasm

Some cellular structures can only be seen when viewed with an electron microscope

Cell structures table

• In addition to the subcellular parts found in animal cells, plant cells have:
  • A cell wall made of cellulose (algal cells also have this structural feature)
  • A permanent vacuole filled with cell sap

• Plant cells found in the leaf and stem may also contain chloroplasts

The plant cell shown above contains chloroplasts, so it would be found in the leaves of a plant

Plant cell structure & function table