Video Transcript
Which of the following organelles
is found in the majority of both plant and animal cells? (A) Chloroplast, (B) cell wall, (C)
large vacuole, or (D) cell membrane.
This question is asking us to
select the organelle among the choices which we’re likely to find in both plant and
animal cells. First, let’s recall that both plant
and animal cells are types of eukaryotic cells, meaning that they have many things
in common, most importantly, a nucleus that contains and protects the DNA. While these cells have much in
common, they also have many differences. Let’s review what we know.
Here we have a simplified diagram
of an animal cell and a plant cell. We can see that both the plant and
animal cell possess a cell membrane, a thin and flexible outer layer that defines
the cells boundaries and controls what enters and what leaves. Both the plant and animal cell
possess mitochondria, bean-shaped organelles with double membranes that are the site
of cellular respiration. Both the plant and animal cell
possess ribosomes, tiny organelles that are the site of protein synthesis.
And finally, as we’ve mentioned
before, both of these cells will possess a nucleus, an organelle found in all
eukaryotic cells whose job it is to protect and store the genetic material or
DNA. However, we see some additional
structures in the plant cell that we did not see in the animal cell. The plant cell possesses a cell
wall or a rigid outer layer. The plant cell also possesses a
central vacuole that functions to provide cell storage as well as cell
structure. The plant cell also contains
chloroplasts, which are the site of photosynthesis.
Now, we’re ready to answer our
question. Which organelle is found in both
plant and animal cells? Well, chloroplasts are found in
only plant cells, and so are cell walls. A large vacuole, also called a
central vacuole, is another structure found in plant cells and not in animal
cells. However, the cell membrane, which
defines the boundary of the cell and controls what can enter and what can leave, is
found in both plants and animal cells.
