Question

Why do plants have a larger vacuole than animal cells?

Answer 1

Hint: They are the storage organs which store various nutrients and water and maintain the cell shape and rigidity of the cell.

Complete answer:
Vacuoles are the membrane-bound cell organelles found in all plant and animal cells. They are the enclosed organs filled with water along with various organic and inorganic molecules. They protect the cell from potential harm and act as a vacuum cleaner of the cell.

The plant has the largest vacuole than animal cells because in plant cells the larger central vacuole performs two functions, one is to store water and the other is to help the plant remain upright. When the vacuole is filled with water, the pressure is applied on the cell along with the cytoplasmic surrounding and cell wall resulting in plants to be upright and rigid. Contrary to this, if the vacuole is empty then it will shrink and the plant loses its rigidity and starts wilting.

In animal cells, vacuoles are smaller but more in number because they do not require vacuole for rigidity or pressure. Their main function is to facilitate the movement of substances in and out of the cell. They are needed in the process of endocytosis (vacuoles diffuse materials across the outer membrane and take them to where required) and exocytosis (vacuoles carry waste materials outside the cell through diffusion across cell membrane).

Note: Vacuoles were first observed by Ditch biologist Antoine von Leeuwenhoek in plants and were also the first to discover microorganisms. Lazzaro Spallanzani first identified the specialized vacuole in protozoa as respiratory organs in 1776. The function of vacuole as a storage container and waste remover was figured until the nineteenth century.