VACUOLE By: Patrick Battista and Jack Davis

Structure  A vacuole is a mass of fluid surrounded by a membrane.  Vacuoles are different in plant and animal cells.  In plant cells, the vacuole is much larger and contains water.  In animal cells, the vacuole contains nutrients.  The organelle has no basic shape or size; its structure varies according to the needs of the cell.

What It Looks Like

Where It’s Located Plant Cell Animal Cell

Functions  Isolates materials that might be harmful or a threat to the cell  Contains waste products  Contains water in plant cells  Maintains an acidic internal pH  Contains small molecules  Exports unwanted substances from the cell  Allows plants to support structures such as leaves and flowers due to the pressure of the central vacuole  In seeds, stored proteins needed for germination are kept in 'protein bodies', which are modified vacuoles

Cells That Have This Organelle  All plant cells  All fungal cells  Some Protist cells  Animal cells  Bacterial cells

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