Plant vs Animal

 A large vesicle made from the endoplasmic reticulum and the golgi apparatus  Two types in plant cells  Food vacuoles- formed by phagocytosis  Contractile vacuole- pumps excess water out of cell to maintain a suitable concentration of ions and molecules inside the cell  Certain vacuoles carry out enzymatic hydrolysis  Can also hold important organic compounds  Ex: the proteins in storage cells in seeds

 Also stores “poisonous” compounds to protect the plants against herbivores  The central vacuole is made up of smaller vacuoles  Inside has cell sap which is made up of inorganic ions like potassium and chloride  Central vacuole plays a major role in the growth of plant cells  How? As the cell absorbs more water, the vacuole gets bigger too which enlarges the whole cell

 Plant cells mainly have one large central vacuole that stores water and retains the turgidity of the cell  Central vacuole can take up to 90% of cell volume

 In some animal cells, vacuoles are absent.  Vacuoles in animal cells are much smaller than those found in plant cells.  Although they are smaller, they are more abundant in number.  Common vacuoles found in animal cells are phagocytic vacuoles, food vacuoles, and contractile vacuoles.  Animal cells have multiple vacuoles that store water, ions, wastes, and food reserves like sugars and mineral salts.

 These vacuoles assist in the large processes of exocytosis and endocytosis.  They are used as storage vesicles that contain and transport selected proteins and lipids before disposing them to the extracellular compartment of the cell.  With endocytosis, the vacuoles are helpful after phagocytosis. When the engulfed material is pinched off, they are enclosed within these vacuoles.