Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

Do all cells have the same structure?

Why?
An efficiency apartment is a one-room apartment. This one room is where you sleep, eat, shower, and
entertain your guests. It all happens in one room. It is a simple way of living in a small space. A mansion
is a large, complex living space with many separate rooms. There are rooms for cooking, eating, sleeping,
bathing, reading, watching TV, entertaining guests, exercising, and storage. The rooms in a mansion are
constructed for the specific things you would like to be able to do. You can live in simple efficiency or
complexity. In this activity we will be looking at cells that are as simple as a one-room efficiency apart-
ment or as complex as a mansion.

Model 1 – Three Types of Bacterial Cells

Cytoplasm

Free-floating DNA

Ribosomes

Free-floating DNA

Cell wall

Cell membrane

Free-floating DNA

Cell wall

Ribosomes

Cytoplasm Flagellum

  1. The three bacterial shapes in Model 1 are referred to as coccus (sphere), spirillum, and bacillus
(rod). Label the diagrams in Model 1 with the correct descriptions.
  2. What is represented by the small dots found in each of the bacteria cells?
ribisomes
  3. What is the name of the outermost layer that forms a boundary around the outside of each cell?
cell wall
  4. How is the DNA described and what does this mean?
it is a complex molecule that has all information and described as a free-floating DNA.

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells 1

   5. All the internal structures are suspended (floating) in what substance?
cytoplasm
  6. One of the bacteria in Model 1 has a tail-like structure.
a. What is this structure called?
flagella
b. What might be the purpose of this structure?
help in movement
c. Based on your answer to the previous question, what might you infer about the absence of
this structure in the other two bacteria cells?
They will bind to something else, when removing the need for the flagellum.

Model 2 – Animal and Plant Cells

Animal Cell Plant Cell
Cell membrane

Temporary vacuole
Nuclear membrane
DNA
Nucleolus
Nucleus
Chloroplast

Cytoplasm

Endoplasmic
reticulum
Ribosomes (free
or attached)
Lysosome
Mitochondria
Vesicle

Golgi apparatus
Large permanent vacuole
Cell wall

  7. Looking at Model 2, list at least three structural differences (other than shape) between an animal
and a plant cell.
cell wall, large vacuole, chloroplast

  8. Where do you find the DNA in each cell in Model 2?

in the nucleus
  9. Do both cells in Model 2 have a nucleus?

yes

2 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

 10. List the structure(s) that form the boundary between the inside and the outside of each cell in
Model 2.
cell walls for plants and cell membrane for animal cell

11. What is different about the outermost boundary in a plant cell compared to an animal cell?

the outermost for plant cell is cell wall, but there is also a cell membrane right before the cell wall

12. Decide as a group whether the cells in Model 1 or 2 are more complex and list at least three
supporting reasons for your choice.
-bacteria cells can only be unicellular
-has a nucleus for DNA
-cells such as plants and animals have way more organelles that normal ones.

Model 3 – Structural Comparisons

Word Part Meaning
pro before
karyon nucleus or kernel
eu true

13. Use the chart in Model 3 to determine the meaning of the word prokaryote.
no nucleus
14. What does the word eukaryote mean?
with nucleus
15. Based on the above word definitions, label the cells in Model 1 and Model 2 as prokaryotic or
eukaryotic. model 1 prokaryotic, model 2 eukaryotic
16. By comparing Model 1 and Model 2, what structures are the same in both prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells?
cell membrane, cytoplasm

17. What differences are there between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell?

prokaryotes: no nucleus and no membrane around the organelles.
eukaryotes: have a nucleus as well as membrane bound organelles.

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells 3

 18. Refer to Models 1 and 2 to complete the chart below. Write yes or no in the box for each cell.

Bacterial Cell Animal Cell Plant Cell All Cells

Cell Membrane y y y y

Ribosome y y y y

Cytoplasm y y y y

n y y
Mitochondria n

n
Nucleolus n y y

Nucleus n y y n

DNA y y y y

Cell Wall y n y n

y n n
Prokaryotic n

Eukaryotic n y y y

19. As a group, write a definition for a prokaryotic cell.

Only the single-celled organisms with no nucleus and internal membrane of
the domains Bacteria and Archaea are classified as prokaryotes.

20. As a group, write a definition for a eukaryotic cell.

organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other
membrane-bound organelles. There is a wide range of
eukaryotic organisms, including all animals, plants, fungi, and
protists.
21. Complete the phrase below. Each member must contribute one complete sentence. The words
prokaryotic and eukaryotic must be used:
All cells are not the same because…

Cells can be prokaryotic or eukaryotic,
and their roles vary. Multicellular and
unicellular cells are both possible.

22. As a group, discuss the opening analogy of an efficiency apartment and a mansion as it relates to
cells. Record your final consensus of how this analogy applies to cell structure.
Some cells have structures that operate numerous roles. This is especially true in apartments, where rooms
are used for variety of reasons. The family room, for instance, serves as a kitchen area as well. Because
prokaryotic cells have fewer structures, this appears to apply to cells. Eukaryotic cells are linked to palaces.
There are several rooms in mansions, each with its own reason. This is accurate in eukaryotic cells since
each structure plays only one role. Despite, palaces and apartments are both homes. And all cells have the
same properties.
4 POGIL Activities for High School Biology ™
Extension Questions
23. What effect do you expect the structural differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes to have
on their functions? Explain in detail.
-Prokaryotes and eukaryotes vary in terms in that eukaryotes own a nucleus while prokaryotes do not.
-Prokaryotes are unicellular, one cell represents an entire organism and they are single-celled organisms with
simple functions.

Eukaryotes have many more complex DNA inside their nucleus, and also they have the ability to perform a
wider variance of roles.

24. With as much detail as possible, give another example of an analogy for describing the difference
between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

like prokaryotic cells are a pen with one color like a blue pen they are unicellular all they can do write
notes for instance. However, eukaryotic cells are multicellular like a pen with many different colors that
work together to preform a project.

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells 5

 25. Complete the chart by describing the function and structure in each cell.
Structural adaptation(s) that enable
Cell Type Function
the cell to carry out its function.
Root hair cell from a plant
A plant's root hair cells have a
Water
huge surface area as well as a
large shapedvacuole. Root hair
to absorb nutrients cells can use these sequences to
and water from the speed up the process of
soil. extracting water and nutrients
from the ground or soil.

Soil particles

Muscle cell Impulses are sent

through the nervous
system along the muscle They have protein fibers that
le fiber cells and cause the can contract when energy is
Musc available, making it shorter.
muscle to contract.
SarcolemmaFasci And bring body parts in
culus
the organism close
Myofibril
together.

Nerve cell
They have a long fiber so the
to transport information nerve cells can carry messages
and signals for the body and signal all around the body up
to work and process. and down the body over long
distances.

Sperm cell
to pass down the They have the mitochondria
biological to provide energy and a tail
Nucleus information that is
Tail to make its way to an egg cell
needed to produce
an organism.
Coil of mitochondria
Head

6 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology