GENERAL BIOLOGY

LABORATORY ACTIVITY # ______

Name _______________________________ Section: _______________ Date___________

Lab: Characteristics of Plant and Animal Cells

Introduction:
Ever since the first microscope was used, biologists have been interested in studying
the cellular organization of all living things. After hundreds of years of study, the Cell
Theory was developed. The Cell Theory states that the cell is the structural and functional
unit of living things. Eukaryotic cells contain structures called organelles that carry out life
processes. Cells are classified by the types of organelles they contain. In plant and animal
cells, similarities and differences exist because of varied life functions.

Objectives:
1) Demonstrate the use of stains to enhance observations of cellular organelles.
2) Compare and contrast plant and animal cells using a microscope, and try to identify organelles that give
clues to life processes.
3) Estimate size of cells in microns (µm).

Directions:
Part A. Plant Cells: Elodea or Anacharis cells
1) Obtain a small Elodea leaf and prepare a wet mount. Place the leaf
in the center of a slide with a drop of water and cover with a coverslip.

2) Start by viewing the leaf under low power. Focus on an area of the
leaf where you can clearly see many cells. HINT – if you aren’t seeing
GREEN you aren’t in the right place!

3) Switch to high power. Use the fine adjustment knob to focus on

the cells in the center of the field of view.

4) Draw several ELODEA CELLS on HIGH power in the field of

view below. Label the cell wall, chloroplasts and cytoplasm.

What is the total

magnification of your
microscope?

______________X

High / Low Power

(circle one above)

Your teacher will show you an image of an elodea cell. Answer the following questions based on the video.
Refer to the link for the film: video for cytoplasmic streaming or cyclosis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFtzs_cUddI&feature=related

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5) Observe the small, oval, green bodies that appear in the cells. These are
chloroplasts. Watch the chloroplasts carefully for any movement.

Movement within a cell is called cytoplasmic streaming. The contents of the

cytoplasm are moved along by the action of the cytoskeleton, protein tubes
which form an internal structure for the cell.

Based on the movement you saw in the Elodea cells or on the movement of
chloroplasts that you observed in the film clip:

Are they all moving in the same direction? At the same speed?
_________
___________________________________________________________________________

Finish this sentence: “The movement of the chloroplasts reminds me of….”

___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

6) What is the name of the PIGMENT found in the chloroplasts which gives them their green color?

Part B. Plant Cells: Onion (Allium) Epidermis Cells

1) Remove one of the fleshy leaves from a piece of onion, bend the piece
against the curve until it snaps as shown in the diagram.

2) Using your forceps, spread the epidermis on a slide as smoothly as possible.

3) Many cell organelles are difficult to see without the use of a chemical stain to
color the organelle. Iodine is a chemical stain that will color the nucleus,
nucleoli, and cell wall of onion cells. Unfortunately, stains will KILL the cell.
Place a drop of iodine solution on the onion tissue. CAUTION: Use care when
working with iodine to avoid staining hands and clothing. Add a coverslip to
spread the iodine over the onion tissue.

4) Focus the slide under low power.

5) Switch to high power. Use the fine adjustment knob to focus on the cells.
Note that the nucleus of the onion cell is stained amber or yellow/brown in
color. Observe several nuclei. Notice the small, circular dots inside the nuclei.

What are these small structures? ______

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6) Compare the Elodea cells with the onion cells. What organelle, which WAS present in the Elodea cell, was NOT
observed in the onion cells?
Why wasn’t this organelle present? _______________________________________________________________
Is it present in any other part of the onion plant? Explain. ______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

7) Draw several ONION CELLS on HIGH power in the field of view below. Label the cell wall, nucleus, vacuole
(if seen), nucleolus, and cytoplasm. Calculate the length of the cell in the box provided below.

What is the total

magnification of your
microscope?

__________X

PartHigh / Low Power

C. Animal Cells: Human
(circle one above)
(Homo sapiens) Cheek
Epithelial Cells

1) Gently scrape the inside of your cheek with a clean toothpick.

Prepare a wet mount of the material that you have scraped. Add a
drop of another type of chemical stain, methylene blue, to the
slide. Cover with a coverslip.

2) Examine the cells under low power. Look for groups of several
blue colored cells. Center them in the field of view and switch to
high power. Use the fine adjustment knob to focus on the cells.

3) Observe the cheek cells. What is the major structural difference between the outer edge of the cheek cells and the
outer edges of the plant cells?

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4) Describe the difference between the general shape of the cheek cells and the shape of the plant cells.

5) Draw several CHEEK CELLS on HIGH power in the field of view below. Label the nucleus, cell membrane
nucleolus (if seen) and cytoplasm. Because the cells are irregularly shaped, estimate the diameter of one cell.
Show your work in the box below.

What is the total

magnification of your
microscope?

_________X

High / Low Power

(circle one above)
Part 4. Conclusions
1) Fill in the table below using the following key:
√ = the cell part should be there but it’s not visible in my
slide
√√ = I can SEE this cell part in my slide
N/A = I do not see this cell part in my slide (and I shouldn’t!)

Nuclear Central Cell

Cell Type Nucleus Cell Wall Cytoplasm
Membrane
Nucleolu Chloroplasts
Vacuole Membrane
s
Elodea
Onion
Epidermis

Cheek

2) Were you able to see the nucleus in the Elodea cell? What did you do to the specimen to be able to see the nucleus
in the onion and cheek cells?

3) Were any of the cells you observed alive? What effect might the chemical stain have on the functioning of the cell?
___________________________________________________________________________________________

4) Name three structures generally found in plant cells that animal cells do not have.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

5) Name three structures generally common to all cells.

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 ____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
6) Plant cells are distinct due to the presence of the structures you listed in question 4. What are the functions of
these
parts and why don’t animal cells have them?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

7) Identify each type of cell below as either plant or animal cells by placing a check ( √) mark in the correct column.

Cell Example Animal Cell Plant Cell

Elodea cell
Cheek cell
Onion cell

8) Think of two reasons why you might not be able to see structures such as Endoplasmic Reticulum and Ribosomes,
even though the cells definitely had these structures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

9) What structure is responsible for the box-like shape of most plant cells? __________________________________