How To Differentiate A Prokaryotic And Eukaryotic Cell

The human body is a source of mysteries and surprises. And it is that when seeing physically and externally how we human beings are, nobody could imagine the infinity of elements that make us up, all of them closely related and compacted. In fact, both the organism and the functioning of people is something so abstract and minuscule that it is far from us to understand. Now, we must try to understand a little more every day how our body is formed to understand how it works. Therefore, in the first place it is vital that we know the cell: the main element of the structure of all human beings. In fact, the cell is that tiny particle that forms all living beings, whether we are people, animals, plants, etc. And it is that although it is hard for us to imagine… From a bacterium to the richest person in the world we are made up of a set of cells. In this line, it is also important to know that there are two types of cells: the prokaryotic cell and the eukaryotic cell. Each one of them has its main characteristics and its differences with respect to the others.

Instructions to differentiate a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell

1. First of all, you must keep in mind that the cell is the basis of life; in fact, a single cell performs each and every one of the vital functions: it feeds, grows, relates -in its own way- with the environment and reproduces. Now, it is the group of cells that really forms life in all of us. Each living being, according to its cellular structure, can be unicellular -formed by a single cell- for example a bacterium, or multicellular -formed by millions of cells- as are all animals and plants.
2. First of all, we are going to know what type of beings each of these cells are found in.  In this case, you should keep in mind that prokaryotic cells are only found in two types of organisms, in fact, in two types of microorganisms: bacteria and cyanobacteria -the only prokaryotic algae-. In this case, both microorganisms are mainly unicellular. On the other hand, eukaryotic cells are the ones that constitute the majority of beings, thus they are the most abundant in the groups of living beings.  Eukaryotic cells are those that form the majority of animal and plant beings, in addition to being found in many microorganisms such as fungi or algae unicellular and multicellular.
3. Keeping this in mind, we can also find that a very important difference is their size. You must bear in mind that obviously neither of the two types of cells is observable without a microscope and neither without the help of an expert, in the first instance. Thus, considering that its size is tiny, we find that the prokaryotic cell is much smaller than the eukaryotic cell. In this sense, the prokaryotic cell usually measures between 1-10mm -that is, micron or micrometer, which is equivalent to 0.001 millimeter-. Instead, the size of the eukaryotic cell is between 10 and 100 mm. Thus, at general levels, the prokaryotic cell is much smaller than a eukaryotic cell.
4. However, one of the most significant differences resides in the cell structure. In this case, you should know that the basic structure is made up of a cell membrane, cytoplasm -liquid, mainly water, which fills the cell and in which the organelles reside – and nucleus -control center that contains the DNA-. Prokaryotic cells have DNA without proteins and presented in a circular fashion. In this case, the main difference is that prokaryotic cells do not have a nucleus, that is, they do not have DNA inside a nucleus. On the other hand, eukaryotic cells do have a nucleus; This contains the chromatin that is responsible for forming proteins and DNA.
5. On the other hand, continuing with the cell structure, it is important to know that prokaryotic cells have a different plasma membrane than eukaryotic cells. In this case, while the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells is made of cellulose, those of prokaryotic cells are made of mucopolysaccharide.
6. Thus, eukaryotic cells have a central nucleus that is well differentiated by a cell membrane that separates the cytoplasm that contains organelles from the nucleus that contains  In contrast, the prokaryotic cell does not have a nucleus, although it does have DNA material.
7. Continuing with the theme of cell structure, it is very important to take into account the following difference: while prokaryotic cells do not have a cytoskeleton, eukaryotic cells do have this cytoskeleton. And it is that the most important function of this element is to give support to the interior of the cells, that is to say, to facilitate the organization of the cell inside it and also to help transport, reproduction and division. I In this way, keep in mind that the cytoskeleton is made up of proteins, something that the prokaryotic cell, as we have said, does not have.
8. As regards the organelles, there are also marked differences, since while the prokaryotic cell only has ribosomes, the eukaryotic cell has different organelles. Thus, the ribosomes of prokaryotic cells are significantly smaller than those of eukaryotes. In addition, eukaryotes also have other organelles in the cytoplasm such as: ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, chloroplast, endoplasmic reticulum -membrane network-, vesicles, lysosomes. Therefore, we are talking about a much more complex cell structure.
9. Focusing now on the movement they make. You must bear in mind that prokaryotic cells have the bacterial flagellum on their cell membrane; a kind of very elongated thread that allows movement. Instead, eukaryotic cells have cilia and flagella, thanks to which they can move.
10. Finally, the mode of reproduction must also be differentiated. In this case, prokaryotic cells reproduce by bipartition or binary fission; a mode of asexual reproduction, in which all elements double, and from there, cells double, giving rise to two daughter cells. Instead, eukaryotic cells reproduce through the process of mitosis. Thus, as far as metabolism is concerned, while prokaryotic cells do so anaerobically or aerobically, eukaryotic cells only do so  

What do you need to differentiate a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell?

•  Know.
•  Previous knowledge.
•  Comprehension.
• Imagination.
• Time.
• Context.

Tips to differentiate a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell

• Keep in mind that the subject of natural sciences and, especially, of the human body and living beings is very complex and difficult to imagine. Thus, you must put a lot of reflection and understanding to be able to understand how it works and imagine.
• Here we have presented the main differences, but keep in mind that eukaryotic cells can also be divided into plants and animals. In this case, both have many differences, even though the two cells are eukaryotic. As you know, a main difference is that the eukaryotic plant cell contains chlorophyll inside, an essential element for photosynthesis, just as plants do.
• On the other hand, also keep in mind that cells must group together to give rise to tissues. Each tissue has a function within our body, depending on the type of tissue it is.