Well Labelled Diagram of Animal Cell

The well labelled diagram of an animal cell consists of all the organelles and the structural components of an animal cell. An animal cell is the basic unit of any living animal. All the cells found in any living animal are made up of similar components and organelles and are eukaryotic cells. Hence, a well labelled diagram of animal cells will be quite uniform amongst all the different species of animals. This is the case for the plant cells. Although there are numerous varieties of plant species the cellular structure and cell organization amongst all the plant cells is same or similar and hence can be represented by a single plant cell labelled diagram.

A Well Labelled Diagram of Animal Cell

It is evident from the introduction that an animal cell is a representation of the cellular structure of all the animal species existing on earth. Same is the case with the representation of the plant cell as well. But there is one important difference between well labelled diagrams of plant cell and animal cell. The difference in between the well labelled diagram of plant and animal cell is the presence of a cell wall. In a well labelled diagram of animal cell, the cell wall is absent whereas in plant cells the cell wall is present which also serves as a protection mechanism for the plant cell

When asked to draw a well labelled diagram of animal cell, the following diagram showing the animal cell can be drawn:

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While focusing on how to draw a well labelled diagram of an animal cell it is important to note the different organelles present in the animal cell. Along with that while noticing the difference in the well labelled diagram of plant cell and animal cell it has to be observed that both have significant differences apart from the cell wall. The plant cell also consists of a very large vacuole structure like a hollow-space. In the case of animal cells, these vacuoles are present in smaller shapes and sizes, as can also be seen in the above diagram. The different organelles shown in a well labelled diagram of an animal cell are explained below:

Cell Membrane/Plasma Membrane

To draw a well labelled diagram of an animal cell, the cell membrane has to be drawn. The cell membrane is an integral part of the cell structure that keeps the entire cell bound together. It is a phospholipid bilayer surrounding the entire cell with cytoplasm and the organelles in the cell cytoplasm. The membrane is selectively permeable only to a few ions and molecules. It avoids the entrance of any other substances thus protecting the cell from direct destruction. In order to draw a well labelled diagram of plant cell and animal cell, the construction of cell membrane is necessary. Only in the case of plant cells, an extra cell wall is made surrounding the plasma membrane.

Cytoplasm/Cytosol

To draw a well labelled diagram of plant cell and animal cell, the cytoplasm or the cytosol is the most important component. It is the fluid that holds all the organelles in itself. It is made up of water and ions such as potassium, proteins and small molecules. The other cell organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondria, etc are present in the cytoplasm enveloped by the plasma membrane.

The Nucleus

The nucleus is the most important part of the cell. One cannot draw a well labelled diagram of plant cell and animal cell without the nucleus. This membrane bound organelle contains the genetic material - the Deoxyribo-Nucleic Acid (DNA) in the nucleolus region. The nucleus is surrounded by a nuclear membrane and is also regulated and divided during cell division. There is only one eukaryotic cell type that is an exception in this case as it lives without any nucleus. It is the red blood cell. The red blood cell does not contain any nucleus which makes it flexible enough to squeeze through the capillaries and blood vessels. 

Ribosomes

The protein manufacturing machinery of the cell is the ribosomes. It converts the genetic information from nucleotides in the mRNA to amino acids in proteins. Thus, they are the centers of protein synthesis in the cell and hence have a vital role to play. When asked to draw a well labelled diagram of plant and animal cells the ribosomes are either drawn as freely floating or bound to the endoplasmic reticulum. This is because the endoplasmic reticulum is where the protein achieves proper fold. Hence, once produced in the ribosomes the polypeptides become functional protein inside the endoplasmic reticulum. If it is a freely floating ribosome, then sometimes vesicles are required to take the polypeptide from ribosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum.

The Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum is an organelle made up of membranous sacs known as the cisternae. It is used for transporting of the proteins synthesized by the ribosomes to different parts of the cell and also sometimes helps in making proteins achieve their stable conformations. There are two types of endoplasmic reticulum required to draw a well labelled diagram of plant and animal cell depending on the presence or absence of ribosomes. If the ribosomes are present on the surface of the cisternae it is known as the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER) and the ones without any ribosomes are called the Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (SER).

Golgi Apparatus

To draw a well labelled diagram of plant and animal cells, the golgi apparatus is placed near the endoplasmic reticulum. It is another membranous organelle near the endoplasmic reticulum as its primary function packs the proteins coming from the endoplasmic reticulum into vesicles before sending them to the required site or location in the cell. 

The Mitochondria

The mitochondria is one of the major cell organelles. It is popularly known as the ‘powerhouse of the cell’. This is because it is the major source of energy for the cell in the form of ATP molecules released due to the respiration process of the cell. Like the nucleus, the mitochondria also contains their own DNA, which is used for synthesizing their own proteins.