WEEK 4 SCIENCE:

What Makes Animal Cells Different from Plant Cells?

(Differentiate plant and animal cells according to presence or absence of certain organelles, S7LT-IIc-3)

We learned from the previous lesson about levels of organization, and we learned that all
organisms are made up of cells. We also learned from the first week of this quarter that the cells
can be seen by the use of a microscope. What are the parts of the cell? What are their functions?
Why is the cell the basic and structural unit of all organisms? Let us find out in this module.
According to the Cell Theory, all living organisms are composed of cells. The cell is the basic
unit of life and cells arise from pre-existing cells. These are formulated by German scientists:
Theodor Schwann (1810–1822), Matthias Schleiden 1804–1881, and Rudolph Virchow (1821–1902).
The Cell Theory developed with the advent of technology. In the modern version, it includes the
following: (1) energy flow occurs within cells; (2) heredity information (DNA) is passed on from cell to
cell and; (3) all cells have the same basic chemical composition.
Students like you can mostly see the nucleus of a cell using a light microscope, but what
about the other parts? Biologists use an electron microscope. An electron microscope is a
microscope that attains extremely high resolution using an electron beam instead of a beam of light
to illuminate the object of study. The word organelle (“little organs”) is used to describe these tiny
cellular structures. The nucleus is the part of the cell that can be observed easily. It is the control
center of the cell also labeled as “the brain” of the cell. This is where the DNA is located.
Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA exists in all living things and has the ability to make exact copies of
itself. It comprises the chromosomes making it the bearer of genetic information of an organism.
The nucleolus is where the subunits of ribosome are produced. The ribosome is the one that
synthesizes protein. The cytoplasm is where all the organelles are embedded. It is a “jelly-like”
substance that surrounds the organelles of the cell. The covering of our cell is the plasma
membrane. It is like “the skin” that encloses the cell parts from the outside environment. It allows
the entry of the materials inside the cell and it is also where wastes exit.
The other parts of the cell are mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, Golgi
bodies, vacuoles, and lysosomes. The mitochondrion is where cellular respiration takes place. The
product of cellular respiration process is cellular energy. This cellular energy is used by other parts
of the cell. The popular tag line for mitochondrion is “the powerhouse” of the cell. The endoplasmic
reticulum (ER) serves as synthesizer, sorter, and transporter of materials such as protein and
lipids. It is categorized into two: the rough and the smooth. The rough endoplasmic reticulum
contains ribosomes and its main function is to synthesize and transport proteins and other
materials throughout the cell. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum on the other hand does not
contain ribosomes and it is the one that synthesizes lipids (such as phospholipids and cholesterol),
carbohydrates, and steroids. Remember that the ribosomes are the ones that produce protein. If
there is a production of proteins, the Golgi bodies are the one that process and pack the proteins.
Lysosomes are “the digestion machine” of the cell. When the cell absorbs materials (food) from the
outside, the lysosomes will cling to it and starts to break it down by releasing their enzymes. The
complex sugars, carbohydrates, and other big molecules will become simple molecules that can be
used by the cell. Lysosomes also break down unwanted materials like bacteria and old organelles.
The vacuole in plants is larger than in animals taking up almost all the space in a plant cell.
It makes the plant cell rigid. The plants stand upright because of the water in the vacuoles. The
freshness of leaves is also due to water in the vacuole. Some vacuoles in plants contain toxic or
poisonous substances. In animal cells, the vacuoles are small and are called vesicles. It stores
water and food and also has the task of excretion of waste materials.
The general parts of the cell are given to you. But some parts are particular to a plant cell
and an animal cell. What are these parts? The plant cell has a cell wall and chloroplast. The cell
wall is the outer lining beside the plasma membrane. The cell wall adds stability and protection to
plant cells. The chlorophyll in the chloroplasts absorb light energy and convert it into chemical
energy and allows plants to carry out the process of photosynthesis. The amyloplasts are found on
plant cells that stores starch. Animal cells have centrioles. Its function is connected to cell
reproduction.
Take a look on the illustration of animal and plant cells. Note the parts and functions of the
organelles as well as their similarities and differences.
ACTIVITY 1:
Directions: Compare Plant Cell and Animal Cell by putting a (✓) if the structure is present and (x) if the
structure is absent under each column.

Structures Plant Cell Animal Cell

1. Cell wall
2. Cytoplasm
3. Cell membrane
4. Mitochondria
5.Ribosomes
6.Endoplasmic reticulum
7.Golgi bodies
8.Lysosomes
9.Vacoules
10.Chloroplasts
11.Centrioles
12.Nucleus
Direction: Choose the best answer. Letters only Direction: Choose the best answer. Letters only

1) Which of the following is NOT true of chloroplast? 1) Which of the following is NOT true of chloroplast?
a. They synthesize sugar a. They synthesize sugar
b. They contain pigments b. They contain pigments
c. They are found in plants c. They are found in plants
d. They are only found in plants d. They are only found in plants

2) Which of the following is always true? 2) Which of the following is always true?
a. All cells have a cell wall. a. All cells have a cell wall.
b. All cells contain a nucleus. b. All cells contain a nucleus.
c. All cells contain a chloroplast. c. All cells contain a chloroplast.
d. All cells have a cell membrane. d. All cells have a cell membrane.

3) What site regulates what goes in and out of the 3) What site regulates what goes in and out of the cell?
cell? a. Cell wall b. Vacuole
a. Cell wall b. Vacuole c. Cell membrane d. Cytoplasm
c. Cell membrane d. Cytoplasm
4) A cell is observed to contain a nucleus, mitochondria
4) A cell is observed to contain a nucleus, and chloroplast. From this information you can conclude
mitochondria and chloroplast. From this information that the cell is:
you can conclude that the cell is: a. Plant cell b. Animal cell
a. Plant cell b. Animal cell c. Bacterial cell d. Prokaryotic cell
c. Bacterial cell d. Prokaryotic cell
5) What is the outermost boundary of an animal cell?
5) What is the outermost boundary of an animal cell? a. Cell wall b. Cytoplasm
a. Cell wall b. Cytoplasm c. Cell membrane d. Nuclear envelope
c. Cell membrane d. Nuclear envelope
6) Which of the following organelles transport materials
6) Which of the following organelles transport inside the cell?
materials inside the cell? a. Lysosome b. Chloroplast
a. Lysosome b. Chloroplast c. Mitochondria d. ER
c. Mitochondria d. ER
7) In which of the following items would you expect to
7) In which of the following items would you expect to find cells?
find cells? a. Strawberry b. Eyeglasses
a. Strawberry b. Eyeglasses c. Silver coins d. Plastic flower
c. Silver coins d. Plastic flower
8) Which is the brain of the cell?
8) Which is the brain of the cell? a. Chloroplast b. Nucleus
a. Chloroplast b. Nucleus c. Golgi d. Mitochondria
c. Golgi d. Mitochondria
9) What is the site of protein synthesis?
9) What is the site of protein synthesis? a. Nucleus b. Organelles
a. Nucleus b. Organelles c. Ribosome d. Mitochondria
c. Ribosome d. Mitochondria
10) Plant cells often have a box-like shape because of
10) Plant cells often have a box-like shape because of the…
the… a. Nucleus b. Cell wall
a. Nucleus b. Cell wall c. Cytoplasm d. Cell membrane
c. Cytoplasm d. Cell membrane