Animal cell diagram: five parts and their jobs
An animal cell diagram has five labelled parts. The nucleus holds the genetic material that controls the cell. The cytoplasm is where the other parts sit and where some reactions happen. The cell membrane controls what goes in and out. Mitochondria release energy by respiration. Ribosomes make proteins. Animal cells have no cell wall, no chloroplasts and no permanent vacuole.
Following the parts as they work together
Think of the nucleus as the control room. Inside it is the genetic material, a long set of instructions. OCR Twenty First Century says these instructions control how a cell develops and what it does.
Many of those instructions are for making proteins. The building happens at the ribosomes, which OCR Gateway calls the site of protein synthesis. Synthesis means making. A ribosome joins small units called amino acids in the order the instructions give.
Everything a cell does needs energy. Mitochondria supply it. OCR Gateway says the enzymes for respiration are inside them. Respiration is the reaction that gets energy out of glucose.
All of this sits in the cytoplasm, inside the cell membrane. The membrane is a selective barrier. It lets some molecules pass and stops others, so oxygen can move into the cell and carbon dioxide can move out.
Using the diagram to revise
Tap or tab to a part and its name and job appear in the panel. Switch the labels off to quiz yourself. Try to name all five parts, then say what each one does, before you switch the labels back on.
Once you are sure of these five, the plant cell diagram adds three more parts. The page on animal and plant cells puts both side by side.
Special kinds of animal cell
Most animal cells take on their final job early in life. AQA calls this differentiation. A differentiated cell gains the parts it needs for one task, and becomes a specialised cell.
AQA names sperm cells, nerve cells and muscle cells as examples. Edexcel goes into more detail. It lists four features of a sperm cell: an acrosome, a haploid nucleus, mitochondria and a tail. Haploid means the nucleus holds half the usual number of chromosomes. Edexcel also names egg cells and ciliated epithelial cells.
Which parts each board names
AQA (8461 and 8464) lists all five parts on this diagram and says most animal cells have them. Edexcel (1BI0 and 1SC0) lists four and leaves out the cytoplasm. At KS3 you learn the jobs of the cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus and mitochondria, along with the plant parts.
For a practical, OCR Gateway suggests making slides of cells from inside your cheek. You then measure the cells, which is where the magnification formula comes in.
Common mistakes
- Adding a cell wall. Animal cells have a cell membrane only. A cell wall on your drawing makes it a plant or bacterial cell.
- Saying the membrane stops everything getting in. It is selective, so it lets some substances through.
- Thinking only muscle cells have mitochondria. AQA lists them as a part of most animal cells.
- Mixing up the nucleus and the cell. The nucleus is one part inside the cell, not the whole cell.
Place the five parts, then match each to its job, in Cell Builder. The animal cell is the first level. Find more on the biology hub.
Questions people ask
Where does respiration happen in an animal cell?
OCR Twenty First Century says it happens in the cytoplasm and the mitochondria. The mitochondria hold the enzymes that the reaction needs.
What is the difference between an animal cell and a bacterial cell?
A bacterial cell is much smaller and has no nucleus. Its genetic material is a single loop of DNA in the cytoplasm, and it has a cell wall. The bacterial cell diagram shows the parts.