Animal cell vs plant cell: the differences that matter

What both cells share

Animal and plant cells are both eukaryotic: their DNA is enclosed in a nucleus, and they have membrane-bound organelles. Both have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, a nucleus with a nucleolus, ribosomes, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, a Golgi apparatus, vesicles, peroxisomes and mitochondria. In a Venn diagram, all of these go in the middle.

What only plant cells have

Plant cells have a cell wall made mostly of cellulose outside the membrane, which gives them support and a regular shape. Many plant cells have chloroplasts, which capture light energy for photosynthesis. Mature plant cells usually have one large central vacuole that can fill most of the cell. Plasmodesmata are channels through the walls that connect neighboring cells.

• Cell wall
• Chloroplasts (in cells that photosynthesize)
• Large central vacuole
• Plasmodesmata

What animal cells have that most plant cells lack

Animal cells have a centrosome with a pair of centrioles near the nucleus, and lysosomes filled with digestive enzymes. Most plant cells do not have these. Plant cells still divide without centrioles, and they carry out much of their breakdown work inside the central vacuole.

• Centrosome with centrioles
• Lysosomes
• Small vacuoles instead of one large one

Mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is saying plant cells do not have mitochondria. They do: chloroplasts make sugar, and mitochondria release the energy stored in it. Another is saying animal cells have no vacuoles; they can have several small ones. A third is mixing up the cell wall and the cell membrane. Plant cells have both, with the membrane just inside the wall.

How to remember the differences

Think about what each organism does. A plant cannot move to find food or shelter, so its cells make their own food with chloroplasts and hold themselves up with stiff walls and full vacuoles. An animal moves and eats, so its cells stay flexible and digest food with lysosomes.