The Eukaryota are one of the two major groups of biological organisms. The other is the Prokaryota, which contains the eubacteria and archae-bacteria.

Differences Between Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Cells

The key feature of all eukaryotes is that they possess eukaryotic cells. These differ from prokaryotic cells in several important respects. Eukaryotic cells are more complex and highly organized than prokaryotic cells. They are also, on average, ten times larger. Only eukaryotic cells have membrane-bound organelles. The organelles are separated from the cytoplasm by plasma membranes.

In eukaryotic cells, the DNA is contained within a nucleus, an organelle bound by a double membrane. Eukaryotic DNA is linear, with a beginning and an end, and is divided into a number of separate chromosomes. Prokaryotic cells, on the other hand, have only a single circular-shaped chromo-some of DNA that is not contained in a nucleus. One consequence of this difference is...