Question

How much space do vacuoles occupy in plant cells?

Answer 1

Vacuoles in plant cells:

1. Vacuole is a membrane-bound cell organelle present in both plant and animal cells.
2. Animal cells have small compartments called vacuoles that help in trapping waste.
3. Plant cells have vacuoles that help in maintaining the water balance.
4. A single vacuole can sometimes take up the majority of the internal space of a plant cell. The largest cell compartments are vacuoles that account for up to 90% of plant cell volume.
5. In general, the vacuole serves the following functions: keeping certain molecules out of the cell that could harm or jeopardize it, containment of waste products, storage of water, keeping the internal hydrostatic pressure, or turgor, of the cell constant, maintaining an acidic pH and storing small molecules.