Question

conclusions:

1. what structures can be seen in plant cells (the onion cells), but not in any animal cells (including your cheek cells)?

1. what difference can you see in the shape of plant cells and the shape of animal cells?

1. why is it necessary to stain the cells before you observe them under the light microscope?

1. do plant cells have chloroplasts in them? how did you know that the plant cells had the pigment chlorophyll in them?

1. was there a vacuole visible in the plant cells? how many vacuoles do plant cells usually have? was there a vacuole visible in the animal cells?

Explanation:

Question 1

Plant cells (onion cells) have a cell wall and a large central vacuole, which are not present in animal cells (cheek cells). The cell wall provides structure, and the central vacuole stores substances. Animal cells lack these structures; they have smaller vacuoles (if any) and no cell wall.

Plant cells (like onion cells) have a rigid, fixed shape (often rectangular or polygonal) due to the cell wall. Animal cells (cheek cells) have an irregular, flexible shape as they lack a cell wall and are more rounded or irregularly shaped.

Cells are mostly transparent. Staining adds color to specific cell structures, increasing contrast between the structures and the background. This makes organelles and cell components visible under the light microscope, as without staining, details are hard to distinguish due to low contrast.

Answer:

Cell wall and large central vacuole (onion plant cells) are structures seen in plant cells but not in animal cells (cheek cells).

Question 2