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what is prokaryotes what is eukaryotes
Prokaryotes are found in the domains of Bacteria and Archaea, while eukaryotes make up the remaining domain. They tend to be much smaller in size than eukaryotic cells and contain no membrane-bound organelles, such as a nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, or mitochondrion.

Prokaryotic DNA is in a circular format – called plasmids – rather than the linear format found in eukaryotes, and the genome tends to be much smaller/shorter. Importantly, some plasmids have the ability to donate and/or receive fragments of genetic code from other cells. Eukaryotic DNA is isolated within a nucleus, which has its own selectively permeable membrane, while prokaryotic DNA is found in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, genetic material is not packaged in prokaryotes, in contrast to the histones and chromosome condensation used in storing eukaryotic DNA. Despite these differences, the format of the genetic code itself is identical in both cell types.

While some eukaryotic cells have a cell wall (i.e. plant cells), others do not. Almost all prokaryotes, on the other hand, will have a cell wall formed of peptidoglycan layers. Particularly within the Archaea domain, this often means that prokaryotes can potentially withstand much more extreme conditions (temperature, pH) than eukaryotes.


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