Eukaryotes and prokaryotes

Building both cell types — stage by stage

Follow each stage to build a clear picture of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

1. 1The shared starting pointEvery living cell — eukaryotic or prokaryotic — has a cell membrane and cytoplasm. These two features are shared across both cell types.+
2. 2Eukaryotic cells: nucleus presentIn animal and plant cells (eukaryotic cells), the genetic material is enclosed inside a nucleus. The nucleus is the defining feature of a eukaryotic cell.+
3. 3Prokaryotic cells: no nucleusBacterial cells are prokaryotic — they have no nucleus. Instead, their genetic material exists as a single loop of DNA free in the cytoplasm.+
4. 4Prokaryotic cells: plasmids may be presentIn addition to the main DNA loop, a prokaryotic cell may have one or more plasmids — small, separate rings of DNA also free in the cytoplasm.+
5. 5Prokaryotic cells: cell wall and much smaller sizeBacterial cells have a cell wall surrounding the cell membrane. They are also much smaller than eukaryotic cells — a difference described using standard form and prefixes such as micro (µm) and nano (nm).+

Stop and predict

Commit to your answer before revealing — this is where your understanding is tested.

A cell description reads: 'cell membrane present, cytoplasm present, cell wall present, genetic material is a single loop of DNA'. Does this cell have a nucleus?

Tap any cell to reveal it. Tap a column header to read one property down every item.