Name 3 differences between animal cells and plant cells and explain the differences.

Plant cells have a cell wall in addition to their cell membranes while animal cells only have a surrounding membrane. This allows plants to have more rigid shape so they can grow without collapsing.

Plant cells have organelles called chloroplasts which contain chlorophyll, a pigment which allows the plant to absorb light energy from the sun to make food for itself. Animals gain energy through metabolism so they do not need chloroplasts.

Both plant and animal cells have vacuoles but they are much larger in plants, and there is generally only 1 vacuole in plant cells while animal cells will have several, smaller ones. The vacuole stores nutrients, water, and even waste for the cell, and in plants it also helps to maintain rigidity based on the amount of water in the vacuole.