Overview:
The plant cell wall, is what is called an "extra cellular matrix" that contains the cell in one small area, and is what mainly distinguishes plant cells from animal cells.
Structure:
This cell wall, is generally made up of pollysacharides, and in the plants case, usually cellulose. Cellulose provides a stiff and rigid environment for the cell to live in.
Function:
Unfortunately this part of the cell is often considered inactive, and not a major part of the overall function of the cell, this is simply untrue. The cell wall performs a many of the most important functions in the cell overall . The cell wall provides the protoplast, or living cells,with mechanical protection and a chemically buffered environment. This function allows the cell to perform homeostatis upon itself, and live in a natural and contained environment. The cell wall is a wall that allows for the circulation and distribution of water, minerals, and other small nutrient molecules into and out of the cell. It provides rigid building blocks from which stable structures such as leaves and stems can be produced. This gives the cell a stable area and self contianed environment. Lastly it provides a storage site of regulatory molecules that sense the presence of pathogenic microbes and control the development of tissues within the cell. The cell wall in plants also helps to distinguish the plant cell from the animal cell.
Working With Other Organelles:
While the cell wall does not work with to many other organelles, its function allows for the organelles in the plant cell to thrive. It does work with vacuoles, to allow nutrients and minerals to enter and exit the site. This also relates to Turgor pressure. When the vacuoles within the cell wall swell up with water, it makes the cell walls together more stiff, improving the overall rigidity of the cell. Overall however it allows all of the cells to thrive by provdidng an environment that they can live in, and perform their functions in.
Links:Just some sites I reccomend for overall cell information :
http://www.bio.mtu.edu/campbell/plant.htm
http://www1.umn.edu/arspsru/plantsci.html
Bibliography:
http://www.bio.mtu.edu/campbell/plant.htm
http://www1.umn.edu/arspsru/plantsci.html
This page created by: Bo Leland