Labeled Plant Cell Diagram and Functions

A plant cell is actually a large microscopic 'fully functioning' city, literally and figuratively, housing miniature structures known as organelles. It is fun to teach about a plant cell diagram and definitions, when your kid is already intrigued with the subject. Trouble is when he really isn't and would rather be doing anything else in the world than study biology. Yet, learning and teaching plant cell diagrams to children can actually be fun. You can use plant cell diagram for kids to make miniature models and the project will be fun as well as help your child to learn. Kids love making and building things. So a plant cell diagram model set up on a sheet of thermocol, using interesting things to make up the internal organelles should really excite your child. Before you do that though, brush up your own knowledge of the labeled plant cell diagram and functions from this article.

Labeled Plant Cell Diagram and Functions of Various Organelles
Let us begin with taking each internal organelle found in the plant cell diagram and highlighting its function and purpose within the plant cell. The most important things to note are the differences that make a plant cell so different from an animal cell. A typical plant cell is distinguished from a typical animal cell as it contains things like the cell wall, vacuoles, chloroplasts and plasmodesmata, that the animal cells do not contain. Here's a look at a plant cell diagram with definitions of all the internal structures.

This is a plant cell organelle, that stores starch and is not found in all plant cells. It is usually found only in plants that are starchy in nature, like tubers and some fruits. These plastids are non-pigmented organelles that synthesize starch granules to convert into sugar, when the plant requires energy.

Alternately referred to as the ATP, this is a high energy molecule that stores up energy. ATP is produced by the plant cell in the cristae of the mitochondria and chloroplasts and supports the important function of energy transfer within the plant cells. This multifunctional nucleotide provides the energy for cellular processes like biosynthetic reactions and cell division.

This is a thin wall that is found on the inside of the cell wall. It is a layer made up of protein, fats and cellular fiber, which provides the plant cell organelles with support and structure. Also known as the plasma membrane or plasmalemma, the cell membrane is the semi-permeable biological separation, between the cell insides and the cell outsides.

This is the thin and rigid outer cover that lies above the cell membrane and surrounds the entire plant cell. This cell wall bonds with other plant cell walls and forms the structure of the plant that we know of. Made up of cellulose fiber, the cell wall is tough and acts as a filtering mechanism for the plant cell. Its most important function is to maintain internal plant cell pressure and prevent over-expansion when water enters the cell.

Also known as the microtubule organizing center, the centrosome is 'centriole free' structure that has radiating tubules originating from a dense center. Found near the nucleus of the plant cell, the centrosomes produce the microtubules that regulate the cell-cycle progression. When the plant cell divides (mitosis), the centrosome also divides into two parts that move in the opposite directions.

If you draw a colored plant cell diagram, you will have to make a green colored molecular structure within, to show chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a molecule that carries on the process of photosynthesis. This is the process of producing sugar and oxygen using light energy, water and carbon dioxide. This usually green organelle is magnesium based and is found in many different molecular structures.

This is usually the elongated or disc shaped photosynthesis site that contains the chlorophyll. Also a part of the 'plastids' group, chloroplasts are similar to mitochondria, but are only found in plants and protista. Chloroplasts have their own DNAs and are protected by the surrounding two lipid-bilayer membranes.

Chromatin is a combination of DNA and protein that is highly complex in nature and is central to the makeup of the chromosomes. Found inside the nuclei of eukaryotic cells, the chromatin plays important roles to pack DNA into smaller volumes (to fit in the cell), control DNA replications and allow mitosis and meiosis.

Cristae are the finger-like projections that form the folded inner membranes of the mitochondria. ATP is generated in the walls of the cristae and they also help in cellular respiration. Made up of proteins, ATP synthase and various cytochromes, the cristae increase the surface area of the plant cell, on which the various reactions can actually take place.

The cytoplasm is essentially the jelly-like substance outside the plant cell nucleus. This is where all the plant cell organelles are situated and it is the substance that is entirely encircled by the cell wall. The contents of the nucleus are called the nucleoplasm and are not part of the cytoplasm, but all the other plant cell organelles are indeed a part of it.

Also known as the golgi apparatus or the golgi complex, the golgi bodies are flat, layered sac-like organelles, that are located near the nucleus. These bodies do the important work of packing proteins and carbohydrates into membrane-bound vesicles. These vesicles are then exported from the cell.

A mitochondrion is a round or rod-shaped organelle with a double layered membrane. The inner membrane is double folded and forms projections known as the cristae. The mitochondrion performs the essential task of converting energy stored in glucose form into ATP.

This is spherical body that contains various organelles like the nucleolus (where ribosomal RNA is produced) and surrounded by a nuclear membrane. The nucleus is the control room that controls various cell functions by controlling the protein synthesis of the plant cell. The nucleus contains DNA within the chromosomes.

These are the sites that see protein synthesis and are basically nothing but small cell organelles made up of RNA-rich cytoplasmic granules. These molecules make proteins out of amino acids. The word 'ribosome' is derived from the name 'ribonucleic acid' that is biologically very important for the plant cell.

Also known as rough ER, this is a vast interconnected system of membranes, infolded tubular structures and convulted sacs that are found in the cell's cytoplasm. This is a network that is covered with ribosomes and these are what give it a rough appearance. These networks transport materials through the cell and produce proteins in sacs known as cisternae. These are in turn sent to the golgi bodies and deposited into the cell membrane.

Also known as smooth ER, this is the same thing as the rough ERs, but with the main difference that they are smooth. They bud off from the rough Ers and also transport materials within the cell. The ER channels, known as the ER lumen, are used to transport proteins and lipids to the golgi bodies and the membranes.

These are parts of the plant cell chloroplasts and are located between the grana within their inner cell membranes. A stroma is essentially the fluid matrix that surrounds the thylakoids.

These are chloropyll containing disk shaped membrane structures found inside the chroloplasts. Chloroplasts are actually made up of a stack of thylakoid disks that aid in the process of photosynthesis. The stack of thylakoid disks in the chloroplasts are known as grana (singular granum).

These are large fluid-filled, membrane-bound spaces within the plant cell. They help in maintaining the cell shape and most plant cells have just one, single vacuole that represents up to 90 percent of the total plant cell. They contain ions, sugar, secondary metabolites and enzymes. A vacuole is surrounded by a membrane called the tonoplast.

Lysosomes, usually found in animal cells are very rare in plant cells. Lysosomes comprise digestive enzymes known as 'hydrolytic enzymes', that are essential for intracellular digestion. These enzymes of plant cells can be detected in the vacuole.

There are many other small structures found within the plant cell like the intercellular air spaces (gap between two plant cells) and the peroxisome (has a chrystalline core and helps in removing hydrogen from substrates), but I will conclude my 'plant cell diagram' article here. Hope my overview of the plant cell diagram helps you with your task of educating your child with a plant cell model. I must thank my friend Abhishake Sharma for providing me with the perfect plant cell diagram for this article.