Eukaryotic vs. Prokaryotic Cells

Prokaryotic Cell

• Size: About 1 micrometre
• Organelles: Has no / few organelles
• Evolution: Evolved about 3.5 billion years ago
• Nucleus: Does not have a nucleus
• Relative Size: Small (About 1 micrometre)
• Specialization: Cells are not specialized
• Pilus: No pilus
• Examples: Bacterial cells
• Capsule: Often covered in a sticky capsule
• Plasmids: No plasmids
• Genetic Transfer: Cannot transfer genetic information
• DNA: Circular DNA
• Flagella: Often have flagella

Eukaryotic Cell

• Size: About 10 micrometres
• Organelles: Has organelles (like mini organs within the cell)
• Evolution: Evolved about 2.5 billion years ago
• Nucleus: Has a nucleus
• Relative Size: Relatively large (About 10 micrometres)
• Specialization: Cells can be specialised and carry out different roles
• Examples: Animal cells, Fungal cells, Plant cells
• Capsule: Flagella very rare
• Plasmids: Has plasmids
• Genetic Transfer: Can transfer genetic information
• DNA: Long individual strands of DNA
• Flagella: May have pilli