Vacuole

By

Kurt Smetana

Period 2

Types of Vacuoles

• Food Vacuoles - formed by phagocytosis

• Tractile Vacuoles - pumps excess water out of the cell.

• Central Vacuoles - enclosed by a membrane called tonoplast.

Functions of Vacuoles

• Place to store organic compounds, such as proteins stockpiled in vacuoles of storage cells in seeds.

• Plant cell’s main repository of inorganic ions, such as potassium and chloride.

• Functions as plant cell’s lysosomal compartment

• Disposal sites for metabolic by-products that would be dangerous in cytoplasm

More Functions

• Help protect the plant against predators because they contains poisonous or unpalatable compounds.

• Elongates to absorb water, allowing the plant cell to become larger with a minimal investment in new cytoplasm.

Creation of Vacuoles

• Developed by coalescence of smaller vacuoles.

• These are derived from the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus.

Other Important Facts

• Is an integral part of the endomembrane system.

• Only appears in plant cells.

• Some are enriched in pigments that color the cells.

• Like vesicles, Vacuoles are membrane-enclosed sacs within the cell.

Questions

• What is the name of the membrane that is around a central vacuole? A. Tonoplast

B. Endoplasmic Recticulum C. Golgi Apparatus

• Vacuoles are found in… A. The interior of animal cells B. The interior of plant cells C. The cells inside a cow’s intestine

Questions

• The three types of Vacuoles are…A. Food, Tractile, Phagocytosis

B. Tractile, Central, Organic C. Food, Tractile, Central

THE END.