What is the Difference Between Plant and Animal Vacuoles?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main differences between plant and animal vacuoles are:
- Size: Plant vacuoles are larger and usually consist of a single, large central vacuole, while animal vacuoles are smaller and more numerous.
- Function: Plant vacuoles help maintain water balance, store water, metabolites, and nutrients, and are involved in the maintenance of turgor pressure in plant cells. Animal vacuoles play a more subordinate role in larger life processes, such as osmoregulation, storage, excretion, and digestion.
- Number: Plants typically have one large central vacuole, while animal cells have two or more small vacuoles.
- Permanence: Plant vacuoles are permanent structures, whereas animal vacuoles are temporary structures.
In summary, plant vacuoles are larger and more important for maintaining cellular functions, while animal vacuoles are smaller and play more auxiliary roles.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Plant and Animal Vacuoles? Comparative Table: Plant vs Animal Vacuoles
Comparative Table: Plant vs Animal Vacuoles
Here is a table comparing the differences between plant and animal vacuoles:
| Feature | Plant Vacuoles | Animal Vacuoles |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Large, usually occupy up to 90% of the cell space | Small-sized; two or more small vacuoles |
| Number | Single large vacuole | Multiple small vacuoles |
| Structure | Permanent structures; play a role in maintaining rigidity and turgidity of the cell | Temporary structures, less significant; aid in endocytosis and exocytosis processes |
| Function | Store water, metabolites, nutrients, and maintain turgor pressure of the cell | Mainly involved in osmoregulation, storage, excretion, and digestion |
| Occurrence | All mature plants have vacuoles | Animal vacuoles are less common, and some cells even lack vacuoles |
Plant vacuoles are large and singular, occupying up to 90% of the cell space, and are used for storage and maintaining the shape of the cell. In contrast, animal cells have multiple small vacuoles that are involved in osmoregulation, storage, excretion, and digestion.
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- Plants vs Animals
- Animal vs Plant Protein
- Plant Cell vs Bacterial Cell
- Symplast vs Vacuolar Pathway
- Animal vs Plant Mitosis
- Plant Virus vs Animal Virus
- Plant vs Animal Hormones
- Algae vs Plants
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- Organ vs Organelle
- Organ vs Organelle
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