The word eukaryotic comes from the Greek roots eu, which means “true” and karyose, which means “kernel.” (Remember, in biology this is referred to as the nucleus.) Therefore, eukaryotic means “true nucleus.” Based on this definition what do you think is the major difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

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Eukaryotic cells have a true nucleus, or a nucleus enclosed in a membrane. Prokaryotic cells do not have a true nucleus.

Members of the kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae (plants) and Animalia (animals) all have eukaryotic cells.

Animal Cells

Let's look at a typical animal cell.

Directions: Scroll over the letters to view the name of the structure and the function. Take notes on the structure and function of the parts of this cell.

As stated above, this is a typical animal cell. Animal cells are highly specialized and will have differences in their structures based on their job, or function, within the organism. The image below shows the structure of some of the specialized animal cells.

Plant Cells

Plants and animal cells have similar structures but with a few differences.

Directions: Scroll over the letters to view the name of the structure and the function. Take notes on the structure and function of the parts of this eukaryotic plant cell.

Like animal cells, plant cells are also specialized and will have structural differences based on their function. The structure of a root cell will be different than the structure of a leaf epidermis cell.