Cellulose is a polysaccharide that serves as the primary structural component of what?

Cellulose is a polysaccharide that serves as the primary structural component of what?

• A. Plant cell walls
• B. Animal tissues
• C. Bone
• D. Blood

Answer: (A)

Cellulose provides the main structural framework in plants, forming the rigid network of plant cell walls. Its long, straight chains of glucose align to create microfibrils that are held together by hydrogen bonds, giving the wall high tensile strength and the ability to resist internal turgor pressure. This sturdy cellulose-based scaffold is what lets plant cells maintain shape and stand upright. Animals, bone, and blood don’t use cellulose as their primary structural component. Animals rely on proteins like collagen for connective tissue, bone is a mineralized matrix with calcium phosphate and collagen, and blood is a fluid mixture of plasma and cells rather than a cellulose framework.

Cellulose provides the main structural framework in plants, forming the rigid network of plant cell walls. Its long, straight chains of glucose align to create microfibrils that are held together by hydrogen bonds, giving the wall high tensile strength and the ability to resist internal turgor pressure. This sturdy cellulose-based scaffold is what lets plant cells maintain shape and stand upright.

Animals, bone, and blood don’t use cellulose as their primary structural component. Animals rely on proteins like collagen for connective tissue, bone is a mineralized matrix with calcium phosphate and collagen, and blood is a fluid mixture of plasma and cells rather than a cellulose framework.