Toggle one cell between plant and animal to watch the cell wall, chloroplasts, and large central vacuole appear while the shared parts stay. Includes a turgor slider and a live plant-vs-animal Venn.
Wilted (flaccid)Firm (turgid)Firm (turgid)
A full vacuole pushes out on the rigid wall and holds the plant up. Lose water and the cell goes flaccid, so the plant wilts. Animal cells have no wall, so they would just swell and could burst.
Cell wall
Found ONLY in plant cells
A rigid layer of cellulose outside the membrane that supports and shapes the plant cell.
Animal vs plant
Parts of a plant cell (12)
Cell wall. Found ONLY in plant cells. A rigid layer of cellulose outside the membrane that supports and shapes the plant cell.
What is a plant cell?
Plants, like all living things, are built from cells. A plant cell is
eukaryotic, so its DNA is sealed inside a membrane-bound nucleus, and it
shares most of its parts with an animal cell. But a plant cell also has three
structures an animal cell does not, and the interactive above is built to make that
difference obvious: press Plant cell and Animal cell to flip between the two
and watch what appears and disappears.
The three parts that make a plant cell a plant cell
Only plant cells have all three of these:
Cell wall: a rigid layer of cellulose outside the membrane that supports and
shapes the cell (it is why plant cells look boxy, not round).
Chloroplasts: the green organelles that capture light and make sugar by
photosynthesis. Their green pigment, chlorophyll, is why leaves are green.
Large central vacuole: one big sac of fluid that stores water and pushes on the
wall to keep the cell firm.
The parts they share
It is easy to think the shared parts are “the animal ones,” but plant and animal cells
share nine structures. Both are eukaryotic and both have:
Shared part
Its job
Cell membrane
Controls what enters and leaves the cell
Cytoplasm
Jelly-like fluid that holds the organelles
Nucleus (and nucleolus)
Stores DNA and directs the cell
Ribosomes
Build proteins
Mitochondria
Release energy as ATP through respiration
Rough and smooth ER
Make proteins and lipids
Golgi apparatus
Packages and ships those products
A common exam mistake is writing that mitochondria are only in animal cells. Plant
cells have them too: a plant both makes sugar (in chloroplasts) and breaks it down for
energy (in mitochondria).
Plant vs animal cell: the full comparison
Structure
Plant cell
Animal cell
Cell wall
Yes (cellulose)
No
Chloroplasts
Yes
No
Large central vacuole
Yes (one big one)
No (only small vacuoles)
Centrioles
No
Yes
Lysosomes
Rare
Yes
Nucleus, membrane, cytoplasm
Yes
Yes
Mitochondria, ribosomes, ER, Golgi
Yes
Yes
Overall shape
Boxy and rigid
Rounded and flexible
Why the wall and vacuole matter: turgor
The wall and the central vacuole work as a team. The vacuole fills with water and
presses outward; the rigid wall pushes back. That balance, called turgor pressure,
is what holds a plant up. Lose the water and the plant wilts.
Using this with a class
Project the diagram and play “plant or animal?”: call out a structure (cell wall,
lysosome, chloroplast, nucleus) and ask students to say which cell has it, then check
with the toggle. Or have students draw the Venn from memory and fill in the 3, 9, and 2.
This interactive is free to embed on your own class site or LMS.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell?
Plant cells have three structures that animal cells lack: a rigid cell wall made of cellulose outside the membrane, green chloroplasts that carry out photosynthesis, and one large central vacuole that stores water and keeps the cell firm. Animal cells have their own structures instead, such as centrioles and lysosomes, and only small vacuoles. Both are eukaryotic and share the nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus.
What structures do plant and animal cells have in common?
Plant and animal cells share nine key parts: the cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, nucleolus, ribosomes, mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. Both are eukaryotic, meaning their DNA is sealed inside a membrane-bound nucleus. A common mistake is thinking mitochondria are animal-only; plant cells have them too, because plants also carry out respiration to release energy.
Do plant cells have a cell membrane if they have a cell wall?
Yes. A plant cell has both. The cell wall is the rigid, non-living outer layer of cellulose that supports and shapes the cell, and it is fully permeable. Just inside it sits the living cell membrane, which is selectively permeable and actually controls what enters and leaves. The wall gives strength; the membrane is the real gatekeeper.
Why do plant cells have a large central vacuole?
The large central vacuole stores water and cell sap and presses outward on the rigid cell wall. That pressure, called turgor pressure, keeps the cell firm and helps hold the whole plant upright. When a plant loses water, the vacuoles shrink, the cells go flaccid, and the plant wilts. Animal cells have only small, temporary vacuoles because they have no wall to press against.