Name: Liza Abegail Joy S.

Tabugoc Pharmaceutical Botany Laboratory

LA # 2 Date: August 28, 2021

The Plant Cell

Objectives:
Each student should be able to:
1. Identify the parts of a plant cell
2. Compare the parts of a plant cell to that of an animal cell
3. Enumerate and discuss the function of the different plant cell structures
4. Discuss how plant cell structures contributes to photosynthesis

Instructions:
1. Draw a plant and animal cell. Label the parts of each cell.
2. State the function/role of each part.
Both Plant and Animal Cell Have
 Mitochondria - generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell's
biochemical reactions.
 Cytoplasm - works in plant cells much like it does in animal cells. It provides
support to the internal structures, is the suspension medium for the organelles
and maintains the shape of a cell.
 Ribosomes - are organelles located inside the animal, human cell, and plant cells.
It has two main functions — decoding the message and the formation of peptide
bonds.
 Chromatin - compress the DNA into a compact unit that will be less voluminous
and can fit within the nucleus.
 Plasma Membrane - provides protection for a cell. It also provides a fixed
environment inside the cell.
 Nucleus - controls and regulates the activities of the cell and carries the genes,
structures that contain the hereditary information.
 Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum - makes cellular products like hormones and
lipids. It also distributes those products throughout the cell and to places in the
organism. The smooth ER also regulates and releases calcium ions and processes
toxins.
 Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum - produce proteins for the rest of the cell to
function. The rough endoplasmic reticulum has on it ribosomes, which are small,
round organelles whose function it is to make those proteins.
 Golgi Aparatus - is a cell organelle that helps process and package proteins and
lipid molecules, especially proteins destined to be exported from the cell.
 Cytoskeleton - organizes other constituents of the cell, maintains the cell's shape,
and is responsible for the locomotion of the cell itself and the movement of the
various organelles within it.
 Peroxisome - break down organic molecules by the process of oxidation to
produce hydrogen peroxide.
Animal Cell Only
 Centrioles - are paired barrel-shaped organelles located in the cytoplasm of
animal cells near the nuclear envelope. Centrioles play a role in organizing
microtubules that serve as the cell's skeletal system. They help determine the
locations of the nucleus and other organelles within the cell.
 Lysosome - function as the digestive system of the cell, serving both to degrade
material taken up from outside the cell and to digest obsolete components of the
cell itself. Also, lysosomes are found in all animal cells, but are rarely found within
plant cells.
Plant Cell Only
 Cell Wall - provides the cell with both structural support and protection, and also
acts as a filtering mechanism.
 Vacoules - are large membrane-enclosed compartments that store toxic wastes
as well as useful products such as water.
  Chloroplast – convert light energy into relatively stable chemical energy via the
photosynthetic process.
 Plasmodesmata - are membrane-lined channels that transverse the plant cell wall
and function as conduits to allow the exchange of various cellular molecules
between plant cells.

3. Using a diagram/pictogram, show how photosynthesis takes place in plants.

Questions:
1. What are the parts of a plant cell and its function?

 Cell Wall: This is the rigid outermost layer of a plant cell. It makes the cell stiff -
providing the cell with mechanical support - and giving it protection. Animal cells do
not have cell walls.
 Cell Membrane: This is a protective layer that surrounds every cell and separates it
from its external environment. It is found just inside the cell wall and is made up of
complex lipids (fats) and proteins.
 Cytoplasm: The cytoplasm is a thick, aqueous (water-based) solution in which the
organelles are found. Substances such as salts, nutrients, minerals
and enzymes (molecules involved in metabolism) are dissolved in the cytoplasm.
 Nucleus: The nucleus is the ‘control center’ of the cell. It contains Deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA), the genetic material that directs all the activities of the cell. Only
eukaryotic cells have nuclei (plural for nucleus), prokaryotic cells do not. The nucleus is
separated from the cytoplasm by a specialized membrane called the
 Nuclear membrane.
 Ribosomes: These are little round structures that produce proteins. They are found in
the cytoplasm or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.
 Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): The ER is a membrane system of folded sacs and tunnels.
The ER helps move proteins within the cell as well as export them outside of the cell.
There are two types of endoplasmic reticulum.
 Rough endoplasmic reticulum. The rough endoplasmic reticulum is covered with
ribosomes.
 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (no ribosomes)
 Golgi body: The Golgi body is a stack of membrane-covered sacs that prepares
proteins for export from the cell.
 Mitochondrion (plural mitochondria): This is the ‘powerhouse’ of the cell. It converts
the energy stored in food (sugar and fat) into energy-rich molecules that the cell can
use (Adenosine triphosphate – ATP for short).
 Lysosome: The lysosome is the digestive center of a cell that produces many different
types of enzymes which are able to break down food particles and recycle worn out
components of the cell.
 Vacuoles: These are large membrane-enclosed compartments that store toxic wastes
as well as useful products such as water. These are mainly found in plants.
 Chloroplast: Chloroplasts contain a green pigment that traps sunlight and converts it
into sugars by a process called photosynthesis. The sugars are a source of energy for
the plants and the animals that eat them.

2. How does a plant cell differ from an animal cell?

- Plant cells are different from animal cells in a number of ways. Perhaps the most obvious
difference is the presence of a cell wall. The cell wall provides strength and support to the
plant, much like the exoskeleton of an insect or spider. Plant cell also has vacuoles which
help maintain its water balance. Also, unlike animal cells, plant cells can harness the
energy of the Sun, store it in the chemical bonds of sugar and later use this energy.

3. What is a trichome?
- Trichomes are highly specialized epidermal cells and serve as an excellent material for
studying cell fate, differentiation, and specialized metabolism through single-cell omics.
Trichomes is the term used to refer to tiny outgrowths from the plant epidermis. Although
the term "trichomes" generally refers to outgrowths ranging from small hairs to larger
outgrowths like thorns, it is typically used to refer to the tiny hairs that can be seen
emerging from the surfaces of leaves and other epidermal surfaces of plants.
4. What is cyclosis?
- The term cyclosis refers to the streaming of cytoplasm inside a living cell. This motion
enables materials to reach all parts of a cell including: oxygen and nutrients. Cyclosis
provides a driving force, thus enabling the transport of cell wall materials over huge
distances in a highly efficient and targeted manner.

5. What plant structure plays a very important role in photosynthesis? Why?

- In plants, photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts, which contain the chlorophyll. When
it comes to photosynthesis, the most important parts of the plant are the leaves since
their cells and structures are specialized to take in light and allow for gas exchange with
the air around them. They also contain vascular structures that transport water from the
roots into the cells that carry out photosynthesis.