Cell wall is the outermost boundary in plant cell whereas plasma membrane or cell membrane is the outermost boundary in animal cells. In a plant cell, cell membrane is found in the inner side of the cell wall.
Occurrence:
Occurrence:
- Cell membrane is present in all cells.
- Cell wall is absent in animal cells.
- Cellulosic cell wall in plant cell wall.
- Peptidoglycan cell wall in bacterium.
- Chitinous cell wall in fungi.
Cell wall vs Cell Membrane
Cell wall
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Cell membrane
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It is a rigid, thick structure (4-20 uM) and visible in light microscope. | It is delicate, thin structure (5-10 nm wide) visible only in electron microscope. |
It is the outermost layer in plant cell and occurs as a protective covering surrounding the plasma membrane. | It is the outermost layer in animal cell and occurs as a semi permeable covering surrounding the protoplasm. |
Cell wall is made up of cellulose in plant cell wall. Cell wall is made up of peptidoglycan in bacterium. Cell wall is made up of chitin in fungi. | Plasma membrane is made up of lipids proteins and small amount of carbohydrates. |
It is completely permeable to ordinary macromolecules. | It is selectively permeable or semi- permeable allowing only certain molecules to pass through. |
It occurs in plant cell, bacterium and fungus. | It occurs in all cells. |
It is metabolically inactive and non living. | It is metabolically active and living. |
It determines the cell shape and offers protection. | It protects the protoplasm and maintains a constant internal environment to the protoplasm. |