Plant cells contain various specialized organelles that perform distinct functions necessary for the cell's survival. Chloroplasts are crucial for photosynthesis, converting sunlight into food and oxygen using chlorophyll.
A folded organelle that combines proteins made by the endoplasmic reticulum and delivers them to the rest of the cell and outside the cell.
Mitochondria
The powerhouses of the cell. these organelles break down food particles and release their stored energy. the cell uses this energy to fuel all of its activities.
Vacuole
A large organelle that stores excess food, waste, and other substances. Each vacuole is surrounded by a membrane.
Cytoplasm
Jelly-like material that fills the cell and surrounds the organelles. Food and oxygen move through the cytoplasm to the organelles.
Endoplasmic reticulum
A folded organelle that makes proteins.
Ribosomes
Tiny organelles that help make proteins. There are many of these organelles in the cytoplasm
Cell membrane
The thin covering that holds cytoplasm and the organelles inside the cell and controls the passage of materials in or out of the cell.
Cell wall
Found in plant cells but not in animal cells. The rigid structure that surrounds that surrounds the cell membrane. It provides the cell with strength and support. Materials pass in or out of the cell through pores in the cell wall.
Nucleus
A large organelle that is easy to see under magnification. It controls the activities of the cell, such as growth.
Chloroplasts
Membrane-bound organelles that contain a green substance (pigment) called chlorophyll. In a process called photosynthesis, chlorophyll uses the Sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar (food) and oxygen. Chloroplasts are found in plant cells but not in animal cells.
