The Incredible, Edible Plant Cell

Structures and functions of the plant cell

Plants

All plants are made of cells, just like your body is made of animal cells.

Plant CellsToday, we will

explore the plant cell.Plant cells have a wide

range of components that perform different activities.

We will relate the cell to a restaurant to learn more about the different components’ roles.

Cell Wall

The outermost structure is the cell wall.

The cell wall provides structure and strength to the cell.

The cell wall acts like the brick wall of a restaurant.

Cell Membrane

You can locate the cell membrane just inside the cell wall.

The cell membrane provides strength to the cell and decides what molecules can enter or exit the cell.

The cell membrane is like a maitre de or traffic cop of the restaurant.

Nucleus The nucleus is the control

center of the cell. The nucleus contains the

cell’s genetic information and the machinery for making proteins.

Think of the nucleus as the boss’s office of the restaurant.

The nucleus is label with an ‘n’ in this picture.

Ribosomes Ribosomes make proteins

for the cell. Ribosomes do most of

their work in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Think of ribosome as the cooks of the restaurant. They make the products or meals for the restaurant.

The ribosome are the black dots on the endoplasmic reticulum.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is where proteins are folded into shape.

It is a series of interconnected vesicles connected to the nucleus.

Think of the ER as the kitchen where the cooks work.

LysosomeLysosome function in

intracellular and extracellular digestion.

Lysosome break down food brought into the cell.

Lysosome also recycle worn out cell parts. It puts some in the trash and recycles the parts it can use later.

Think of the lysosome as the

bus boy or janitor. He will take the

plates back to the kitchen and throw the trash into the

trash bin.

Vacuole The vacuole is often the largest

structure in the cell (it is blue in this picture).

It stores water and provides pressure that keeps the cell from collapsing.

Vacuoles help get rid of the cell’s insoluble waste.

When the vacuole runs out of water, the cell shrinks or wilts. This is why plants wilt without enough water.

Imagine the vacuole as the storage room. It holds all the extra ingredients and the trash cans.

Chloroplast Chloroplasts convert light

energy into chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis.

Imagine chloroplast as the guy who delivers food to the restaurant. Without the chloroplast, the cell would have no energy to live.

Mitochondria Mitochondria are the

powerhouses of the cell. Mitochondria generate

energy by aerobic respiration.

Mitochondria can be thought of as the food in the restaurant. They are also like the electricity.

Here is a picture of onion cells. You can see the cell wall, cell membrane and the

nucleus.

This is an actual picture of a plant cell.

It has been labeled to help you identify the different structures.

Take a look at this cell.

Identify the parts that you recognize in your notebook.