Question

What are some structural similarities between plant cells and fungal cells? What are some

structural differences?

Answer 1

Structural similarities between plant cells and fungal cells:

• Both plants and fungi are derived from eukaryotic single-celled organisms called "Protists," belongs to the kingdom Protista.
• Most fungi and plants are multicellular organisms, they contain similar cell structure. As eukaryotes, unlike animal cells, both plant and fungal cells are enclosed by a cell wall, they have membrane-bound nuclei.
• DNA condensed with the help of histone proteins and they both have cellular organelles include mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum Golgi apparatus.
• They both contain single extentions on the organism, in fungi, it is hyphae, in plants, these are roots/shoots.
• Both are non-motile and can reproduce sexually and asexually, they need water to live.

Structural Differences between plant cell and Fungal cells:

• The cell wall in plants is made up of cellulose whereas in fungi cell walls made of chitin.
• Plants have chlorophyll that can produce their own food through photosynthesis, they are called as autotrophs, Fungi living as saprophytes, feeding on dead or parasites and they can't produce their own food hence called as heterotrophs.
• Plants are producers in an ecosystem whereas fungi are generally decomposers of the ecosystem.
• Plants store their food in the form of starch while fungi store their food in the form of glycogen.
• Plants reproduce by seeds and pollen, fungi reproduce by spores.
• Plants have roots, stems, and leaves while fungi have filaments which attach to the host.
• Plant cells generally possess single nucleus while fungal cells may be uninucleate or multinucleate.