Structure of a Plant Cell, Here’s the Types and Functions!

The structure of plant cells is different from that of animals. Plants have many cell structures. In biology, there are at least some structures that make up the plant cell.

Of course, you should at least understand the various cell structures. In fact, it is also not difficult to understand the structure of cells in living things on this one.

After knowing it, it will be easier for you to understand how plants can survive like animals.

Read Also: Plants that reproduce with spores, here are 7 examples!

Understanding the Definition and Structure of Plant Cells

Plants as living things have characteristics similar to animals. One of the similar characteristics of plants and animals is that they both have cells in their bodies.

However, cells in plants and animals are definitely different. Plant cells themselves consist of several structures enclosed by cell walls in their bodies.

Launching from Wikipedia, a plant cell is a type of cell found in green plants, eukaryotes, photosynthesizing from the kingdom Plantae.

What are the characteristics of plant cells?

Plant cells have a fixed shape, which is a rectangle. This type of cell is composed of a cell wall, vacuoles, and also plastids which are not present in animal cells.

There are several characteristics of plant cells that you can pay attention to, which are as follows:

• It has a cell wall which contains cellulose in it.
• Plant cells have a fixed shape because they have a cell wall inside.
• There are plastids in plant cells.
• Mitochondria of plant cells are few because their function gets help from plastids.
• The centrosome and centrioles are not clear.

These characteristics must exist in the structure of plant cells and ultimately make them different from cells in animals.

Read Also: Network for Photosynthesis in Plants and Their Functions

Structure of Plant Cells

Here are some of the structures of the cells in these plants:

1. Cell wall: where it is composed as well as cellulose, which is thick and rigid to maintain its shape and protect the cell from mechanical damage. There are plasmodesmata as excitatory conductors between cells.
2. Cell membrane: the outermost part that limits the cell nucleus with the environment, its job is to keep the cell components inside.
3. Cytoplasm: composed of cytosol which contains water and dissolved organic compounds, such as fatty acids, amino acids, proteins, and others. Serves to fill the space between the cell membrane and the cell nucleus.
4. Nucleus: this plant cell structure is the largest cell organelle that contains DNA and is round to oval in shape.
5. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): a channel organelle in the cytoplasm that connects the cell membrane to the nucleus. Its function is as a transport protein.
6. Ribosomes: in the cytoplasm or attached to the ER which is composed of protein and RNA. They are very small and visible only with an electron microscope.
7. Golgi body: a flattened, mesh-shaped sac that is present on one side of the nucleus. Its function is as a packaging and also secrete protein.
8. Mitochondria: the structure is very complex and is the site of aerobic respiration in cells. It contains enzymes to regulate the Krebs cycle, namely cytochromes.
9. Vacuole: filled with fluid surrounded by a layer of membrane called tonoplast. The function of the vacuole is to store metabolic waste and decompose simple molecules (such as lysosomes).
10. Plastids: contain pigments that produce color. Plastids that are green in color are chloroplasts, other than green they are called chromoplasts, whereas if they are colorless they are called leucoplasts.
11. Chloroplasts: play a role in helping photosynthesis due to the presence of chlorophyll and photosynthetic pigments. Converts energy from sunlight into glucose.

There are at least 11 plant cell structures that support life. If a plant loses just one cell, it cannot live like a normal plant.

Read Also: Plant Tissues and Their Functions, You Must Know!

What are the Functions of Plant Cells?

Certainly there is a function of plant cells. The first function of the cell is to regulate all activities in the plant.

Plants can do many things because of the existence of these cells. Plant cells also play an important role in the process of growth and development from seeds to large.

Then, plant cells are also useful for storing and carrying their genetic properties. Plant cells are capable of storing DNA as well as RNA.

Finally, the function of cells in plants is to maintain their body shape. Thanks to the existence of these cells, plants have a fixed shape and do not change.

All plant cell structures will complement each other. They will lose their function if one part of the cell is not working. (R10/HR-Online)