Some students used information they gathered from lab investigations to prepare a table. They entered the table in their lab notebooks. Which of these correctly identifies the two cells described in the table? Your answer: Cell 1 is eukaryotic, and Cell 2 is prokaryotic. Both Cell 1 and Cell 2 are prokaryotic. Cell 1 is prokaryotic, and Cell 2 is eukaryotic.

All living cells have been classified into two major domains; Eukarya and Prokarya. This classification was done based on the possession or not of an enclosed structure that houses the genetic material of the organisms called NUCLEUS. Eukaryotic cells possess a membrane-bound nucleus that houses their DNA while prokaryotic cells do not have a membrane-bound nucleus, hence their DNA is found naked in a region of the cytoplasm called NUCLEOID.

In addition to this primary basis (nucleus possession), eukaryotic cells have a linear DNA and other membrane-bound organnelles like mitochondria, Chloroplast, Endoplasmic Reticulum etc while prokaryotic cells have a circular single DNA and have no membrane-bound organnelles.

Based on this comparison, cell 1 is a prokaryotic cell while cell 2 is an eukaryotic cell.