Don't Trust Cells, They Make Everything Up... If It's Living, That Is...

Ah, cells. No, not the ones prisoners are locked up in, the ones that are the smallest structural/functional units in every single living organisms. Some may know them as the "building blocks of life." Anyway. Though all animals and plants are made of cells, they aren't necessarily all the same. Animals have 3 parts, or 'organelles' (Modern Latin for small organs. Accurate) to their cells while plants have 6 parts. Damn, animals may be complicated when it comes to emotions and brain stuff but we have nothing on plant cells.

There are about 6 main kinds of cell, and as I said, only 3 actually apply to animals and those three are probably different in plants anyway.

Let's start with the three that apply to both. Cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. 

Cell Membrane

The cell membrane is a double layer of lipids and proteins that surrounds the cell and separates the contents of the cells from it's environment. It gives the cell structure, regulates the materials that enter and leave, and only allows certain materials to enter or exit. Like a drawbridge, in a way.

Cytoplasm

Cytoplasm is referring to the liquid that fills a cell. The fluid has been said to be nothing like any other liquid in the 'physical world' as said liquids usually only contain a few solutes in a mostly water solution (a.k.a an aqueous environment) while cytoplasm is a lot more complex and crowded. It contains a wide range of particles from ions and small molecules to proteins. Other than being a site for enzymatic reactions and metabolic activity, cytoplasm plays a role in organising the locations of the organelles inside of the cell.

Nucleus

The cell nucleus is a large organelle that protects the majority of DNA inside of each cell. While some DNA is inside other organelles, such as mitochondria, most of it is inside of the cell's nucleus. Said DNA contains the information needed to produce most of the proteins that are necessary for keeping the cell functioning. Other than protecting DNA, the nucleus produces the needed precursors (a single compound that participates in a chemical reaction that creates another compound) for protein synthesis. 

Okay, now onto the cells only plants have. The large vacuole, a cell wall, and chloroplast.

Vacuole

To be fair, animals do have vacuoles too, but there are multiple and they're a lot small than the one, large, vacuole that plants have. Vacuole in plants is a large organelle that holds various solutions and materials. Simply, a vacuole is a 'chamber' that is surrounded by a semipermeable membrane, which only lets in certain materials

Cell Walls

The cell wall is an outer layer in plant cells that surrounds certain cells outside of the cell membrane. It provides strength and structure to the cell and to an extent can control types of molecules that enter and leave the cell. The materials it is made up of vary through organisms. 

Chloroplast

Last but not least, Chloroplast! The chloroplast is the organelle responsible for producing energy through photosynthesis. A chloroplast has a high concentration of chlorophyll, the molecule that captures light energy, which gives many plants and algae their well known green colour.



Other than that, there are many many other kinds of cells, different in animals and plants, but these are just the main ones.

Thanks for reading! And remember, "Mitochondria is the Powerhouse of the Cell" ;)

Credit to https://biologydictionary.net/ for helping with a lot of these definitions :)