The Vacuole

The Vacuole

"I'm your chubby, fluid-filled buddy"

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WHERE IS THE VACUOLE FOUND?

 The vacuole can be found in both plant and animal cells.

                                     The plant cell

                            The animal cell

FUN FACTS

• The vacuole is much larger in a plant cell than it is in an animal cell.                                                                     
•  In a plant cell the vacuole can occupy up to half of the cell's volume.                                                                     
•  There is usually only one or two vacuoles in a plant cell, whereas there are multiple smaller ones in animal cells.

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WHAT DOES THE VACUOLE DO?

IT'S ME THE VACUOLE... I AM THE BIGGEST ORGANELLE! (IN THE PLANT CELL)

             Key Duties of the Vacuole

• Isolates waste that may be a threat to the cell and disposes of it.
• Prevents cell from being contaminated.
• Stores nutrients and water for the cell.
• In plant cells the vacuole supports the cell wall.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT ORGANELLE!

The vacuole is the most important organelle in the cell.

In animal and plant cells the vacuole acts like a garbage disposal. It collects and gets rid of all waste. Without the elimination of waste the cell would be over crowded and contaminated, and not be able to do it's duties of a cell, and very likely the cell will die. Therefore, without the vacuole, there would be no cell. Can you function properly if you are full of waste and poison? Neither can a cell.

In plant cells the vacuole acts like a lunch bag. Without the vacuole there would be no stored nutrients that the cell can rely on. Without stored nutrients and water the cell can easily die. Think about when you go all day at school without food. You rely on your lunch bag that is storing your food for you. Without those stored nutrients for the day you become less and less responsive and alert. As does a cell. A cell relies on it's stored nutrients and water to keep it going.