Brady Ludvik
Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Similarities and Differences
There are only two different types of cells; prokaryotic and eukaryotic. There
are characteristics between the two that make them distinctly different. Prokaryotic
cells are very simple cells and were said to be the first forms of life. They are
extremely small being 10 micrometers large or less. Eukaryotic cells, however, are
much more advanced and larger. They are the cells that make up your body,
multicellular, and they can they can be unicellular.
Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have a cell membrane. They both need
some form of a cell membrane or their substances inside would not be able to stay
there. It is like a rubber water balloon. Without the outside of the balloon, the water
would not be ale to stay in. They both have cytoplasm. Cytoplasm contains a lot of
what a cells needs to survive including proteins and it also keeps the organelles
apart if the cell has organelles. Another similarity of the two types of cells is that
they both contain DNA. They both need DNA because it is what lets them reproduce.
Without reproduction, there would be no more cells after the first one. Prokaryotic
and Eukaryotic cells have ribosomes. Ribosomes are a component in cells made to
produce proteins. Proteins are a vital nutrient that cells and all living things need.
There are also many differences between the two types of cells. One
difference being that only eukaryotic cells have a nucleus. A nucleus is an organelle
that contains the cell’s DNA. All cells need DNA, but prokaryotic cells just don’t have
a nucleus. The DNA just floats in the cytoplasm of the cell. All prokaryotic cells have
cell walls and not all eukaryotic cells do. A cell wall is a rigid wall that keeps a cell
from growing too large and bursting due to water intake. Prokaryotes are all single
celled and only some eukaryotes are single celled. This is because all prokaryotes
are very simple and eukaryotes have the ability to attach to each other and form a
larger organism. Also, only eukaryotic cells have membrane bound organelles.
Eukaryotic cells are more evolved and complex than prokaryotic cells meaning that
they need more organelles to survive. It has been theorized that eukaryotes formed
membrane bound cells by originally being a large prokaryote engulfing smaller
prokaryotes that made energy or preformed a different job for the larger one.
Prokaryotes and eukaryotes have some similarities on a basic level, but as
they started to evolve many differences formed. Eukaryotic cells got much more
complex which lead to the addition of organelles and different strategies to survive.
Their efficiency also lead to larger sized cells.