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Eukaryotic Cells

6 April, 2016 - 17:26

Learning Objeectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Describe the structure of eukaryotic plant and animal cells
  • State the role of the plasma membrane
  • Summarize the functions of the major cell organelles
  • Describe the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix

At this point, it should be clear that eukaryotic cells have a more complex structure than do prokaryotic cells. Organelles allow for various functions to occur in the cell at the same time. Before discussing the functions of organelles within a eukaryotic cell, let us first examine two important components of the cell: the plasma membrane and the cytoplasm.

Art Connection

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Figure 3.7
This figure shows (a) a typical animal cell and (b) a typical plant cell.
What structures does a plant cell have that an animal cell does not have? What structures does an animal cell have that a plant cell does not have?