Bacteria, such as E coli are simple, single-celled (unicellular) organisms. Elodea, also known as water weed, is a plant that is commonly used in aquariums. Which of the following is a main difference in cell structure between an E coli and an Elodea cell?
A.An Elodea cell does not have organized DNA, whereas E coli have organized DNA.
B.E coli have nuclei that are half the size of Elodea nuclei.**
C.E coli and Elodea cells have the same cell structure because they are both simple cells.
D.E coli do not have organized DNA, whereas an Elodea cell has organized DNA.
Hmm, can you really talk of a nucleus in a prokaryotic organism that has no nuclear envelope?
E.coli do not have organized DNA, whereas an Elidea cell has organized DNA.
The correct answer is:
B. E coli have nuclei that are half the size of Elodea nuclei.
Explanation:
E coli and Elodea cells differ in terms of their cell structure. One main difference is that E coli cells have nuclei that are approximately half the size of Elodea nuclei. This difference in nucleus size is significant and distinguishes the two organisms.
The correct answer is D. E coli do not have organized DNA, whereas an Elodea cell has organized DNA.
To arrive at this answer, we need to understand the characteristics of both E coli and Elodea cells.
E coli is a bacterium, and as you mentioned, it is a unicellular organism. Bacteria, including E coli, are classified as prokaryotes. Prokaryotic cells, such as E coli, do not have a nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelles. Instead, their DNA is found in a region called the nucleoid, which is not surrounded by a nuclear membrane.
On the other hand, Elodea is a plant and belongs to the eukaryotic group of organisms. Eukaryotes have cells that contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. This includes organized DNA within the nucleus.
Based on this information, we can conclude that E coli does not have organized DNA, whereas an Elodea cell does have organized DNA. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.