Vacuoles

Vacuole

A vacuole is membrane bound sac found in plant and animal cells that is used for storage. It also plays a role in intracellular digestion and release of cell waste. It has a variety of functions ranging from protection of a plant to endocytosis. Each plant cell also has a central vacuole, which is formed by the coalescence of smaller vacuoles. The vacuole is very important to the cell.

The vacuole in plant cells is generally larger than those found in animal cells. In plants it plays a huge role in turgor, the stiffening of a plant due an influx of water. The vacuole is where the water collects in the plant cells, as the water in the vacuole increases so does the pressure in the cell. And if water is not added to the plant, the pressure in the vacuole lessens, eventually causing the plant to wilt. The vacuole must work in conjunction with the cell membrane, both fro increasing/decreasing turgor pressure, and also with phagocytosis.

Another function or type of vacuole is the food vacuole. These vacuoles are formed forphagocytosis, or the engulfing of nutrients into the cell. The food vacuole is the whole in which the nutrients are pulled in. This allows the cell to gain and utilize large amounts of nutrients at one time, instead of little by little.

There are also contractile vacuoles which are commonly found in fresh water algae. The contractile vacuole is used to pump excess water out of the cell quickly and easily.

Other uses of the vacuole are mainly storage. Vacuoles can be holding places for organic compounds or ions. They can also be holding sites for metabolic by-products, that would be harmful if kept in other places in the cell. Vacuoles can also contain pigment to color a cell, which gives flowers their bright colors. They can also contain poisons or other substances to deter animals from eating the plant.

A vacuole is very important to its cell as it has many important functions, each varied and necessary for the survival of a cell.

An Animal Cell

A vcauole is number 2