vacuole
Cellular storage bubble
A vacuole is a fluid-filled cavity within a cell, enclosed by a membrane.
In plant cells, a large central vacuole stores water and maintains pressure against the cell wall, keeping the plant rigid.
Animal cells have smaller vacuoles that handle waste disposal and storage.
The word comes from the Latin for empty—the spaces looked hollow under early microscopes.
Basic unit of life
- cytoplasmGel surrounding the nucleus
- vesicleSmall fluid-filled sac
- eukaryoticHaving organized nuclear membrane
- lysosomeDigestive organelle in cells
membrane · nucleus · mitochondria · chloroplast · peroxisome · ribosome · autophagy · phagocytosis
Force upon contact
- osmosisSolvent crossing semipermeable barrier
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
- turgidSwollen or pompous
- wiltingLosing turgor and drooping
rigidity · hydrostatic · cell-wall · expansion · swelling · flaccid · cytosol · hypertonic
Non-saline aquatic environment
- protistUnicellular eukaryotic organism
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
- amoebaShape-shifting single-celled organism
- parameciumCiliated slipper-shaped protozoan
expulsion · pulsating · excretion · single-celled · euglena · protozoa
Complex plant carbohydrate
- sucroseGlucose-fructose disaccharide
- nutrientsVital dietary substances
- metabolitesChemicals from bodily processes
- pigmentsColor-giving compounds
reservoir · accumulation · sequestration · glycogen · lipids · proteins · alkaloids · tannins
cell
Basic unit of life
- cytoplasmGel surrounding the nucleus
- vesicleSmall fluid-filled sac
- eukaryoticHaving organized nuclear membrane
lysosome · membrane · nucleus · mitochondria · chloroplast · peroxisome · ribosome · autophagy · phagocytosis · endocytosis
pressure
Force upon contact
- osmosisSolvent crossing semipermeable barrier
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
- turgidSwollen or pompous
wilting · rigidity · hydrostatic · cell-wall · expansion · swelling · flaccid · cytosol · hypertonic · hypotonic
freshwater
Non-saline aquatic environment
- protistUnicellular eukaryotic organism
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
- amoebaShape-shifting single-celled organism
paramecium · expulsion · pulsating · excretion · single-celled · euglena · protozoa
starch
Complex plant carbohydrate
- sucroseGlucose-fructose disaccharide
- nutrientsVital dietary substances
- metabolitesChemicals from bodily processes
pigments · reservoir · accumulation · sequestration · glycogen · lipids · proteins · alkaloids · tannins · ions
degradation
Decline in condition
- Cell Organellesmitochondria, mitochondrion, ribosome, ribosomes, lysosome
- microbe partscytoplasm, nucleus, cell membrane, flagellum, flagella
- cellscells, blood cell, cell theory, nerve cell, red blood cell
- cell biologycell membrane, cell division, cytoplasm, ribosome, mitochondria
- cell partsnucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, ribosomes, cell membrane
- organellesmitochondria, mitochondrion, chloroplast, nucleus, lysosome
vacuolenucleus
Central controlling part
mitochondrion · chloroplast · ribosome · nucleolus · centrosome
- contractile vacuoleWater-expelling organelle in protists