Cell Organelle: Vacuoles - Skylar Oliver

Main Ideas:
- Vacuoles are storage bubbles found in cells.
- They are found in both animal and plant cells but they are much larger in plant cells.
- They store food or any variety of nutrients a cell needs to survive.
- They store waste products so the rest of the cell is protected from contamination, eventually the waste products will be sent out of the cell.
- The structure of vacuoles are simple, there is a membrane that surrounds fluid. Inside that fluid are nutrients and waste products.
- Plants may use a vacuole to store water as well. The tiny water bags help support the plant.
- Most of a plant cells volume depends on materials in vacuoles. Vacuoles gain and lose water depending on how much is available to the plant.
- The structure of a vacuole varies according to the needs of the cell.
- It exports any unwanted substances from the cell and isolates materials that might be harmful or threaten the cell.
- They can store proteins/enzymes.
- Vacuoles are also known for helping to maintain the pressure within a cell and the balancing of the pH of a cell.

Reflection: I have learned that when a plant cell has stopped growing, there is usually one large vacuole. Sometimes the vacuole can take up more than half of the cells volume, this is very surprising considering how many other organelles are required in a cell to function properly.

Citations:
- "Difference Between Plant Vacuole And Animal Vacuole". Difference Between. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.

- Studios, Andrew. "Biology4kids.Com: Cell Structure: Vacuoles". Biology4kids.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.