The Differences Between Plant and Animal Compounds

Are there differences in the compounds plants and animal cells need?

Plant cells require a few more compounds than animal cells do because they perform photosynthesis. Some differences in compounds and structure are the following:


A5.3 Photosynthesis in plants
  • Plant cells contain specialized compounds such as chlorophyll for photosynthesis and cellulose for the cell wall.
  • Animal cells contain specialized compounds such as hemoglobin for oxygen transport and cholesterol.
  • Some plant cells store energy as oils or starch.
  • Some animal cells store energy as sugar or fat.
  • Plant cells tend to have a large central vacuole for water storage.
  • Animal cells tend to have many small vacuoles.

There are some similarities in compounds and structures too. Both contain

  • DNA or genetic material
  • a cell membrane
  • a cytoskeleton—a set of proteins and fibres that help hold the organelles in place in the cytoplasm
  • specialized compounds adapted for special functions

A5.4 Thistle oil and milk thistle flowers

  Read This

Please read pages 271 and 272 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the compounds and elements needed in all cells and the differences between the compounds in plants and animal cells. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!

  Practice Questions

Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.

  1. Why do plant and animal cells have so many similarities?

The basic function of all cells, whether plant or animal, is to perform the basic functions of life. This means that besides a few specialized functions, plant and animal cells have the same functions and therefore the same parts to do those functions.
  1. Animals need the compounds plants produce through photosynthesis to survive. We often eat certain plants because they are high in a compound we require. What are some examples of this?
Your answer should be a variation of the following: We eat avocados because they are high in fat. We eat nuts as a source of protein and trace elements. We eat many vegetables for the nutrients they contain. These are all things we cannot produce ourselves, so we must eat plants to collect them. In turn, when animals die, they decompose and become food for plants.