A plant cell is an elementary unit of a living organism - a plant. It contains components that are inherent in all eukaryotic organisms: nucleus, cytoplasm, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes and lysosomes, microtubules. However, the plant cell has differences - this is the presence of plastids, vacuoles and cellulose walls.
Unites all the organelles together and is involved in the metabolism of a special semi-fluid medium of an elementary living unit (cell) - the cytoplasm. The structure of the cytoplasm is quite complex. It is a multicomponent colloidal solution that can transfer from sol to gel. In this case, the whole cell is penetrated by protein threads that form the cytoskeleton of a structural unit. Its composition includes water, which accounts for 60 to 90% of the total mass, proteins (10-20%) and lipids (up to 23%), as well as organic and inorganic substances. The role of the cytoplasm in cell life is very large:
- it is a medium in which chemical reactions take place;
- takes an active part in metabolism;
- supports turgor and thermoregulation;
- performs a supporting function, helps the cell maintain its shape.
The effect on the semi-liquid medium of the cell is
and external factors - temperature, light,
air composition, amount of water. All this directly affects the movement of the cytoplasm, in which it constantly resides. Due to the movement of a colloidal solution with nutrients (oxygen, ATP, etc.), an elementary unit of a living organism exists. The vital activity of a cell is carried out by a combination of physiological processes. Nutrition of a structural unit of a living organism occurs in the process of biochemical reactions, as a result of which
inorganic substances are converted to organic. The plant cell breathes oxygen formed during the oxidation of complex substances - carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids. At the same time, when breathing, the synthesis and release of energy necessary to maintain life occurs. Plant cell grows by stretching
cellulose wall and increase the volume of the cytoplasm and vacuole.
In aggregate, all these vital processes take part in metabolism, the main essence of which is the formation of new products, their decomposition into smaller components, removal of decay products from the cell, or deposition in the form of reserve substances. The allocation of unnecessary links occurs through the
cell wall, and the movement, collection (formation) of new structures is carried out due to the movement of the cytoplasm.
An important property of cells is their ability to multiply by division. The result of this process is the formation of two daughter structural units of a living organism that have a set of chromosomes identical to the mother.
Thus, the plant cell is the smallest living structure of the body, it eats, breathes, responds to stimuli, grows, multiplies, and the cytoplasm and organelles immersed in it take part in the metabolism.