Which organelle acts as a storage 'warehouse' for food, water and waste, larger in plant cells?

• A. Vacuole
• B. Lysosome
• C. Golgi apparatus
• D. Nucleus

Answer: (A)

The organelle that acts as a storage “warehouse” for food, water, and waste in plants is the vacuole, specifically the large central vacuole that characterizes many plant cells. It holds water and dissolved nutrients, as well as waste products, helping to keep the internal environment balanced. In plant cells the central vacuole is very large, pushing other organelles to the side and creating turgor pressure that helps keep the cell rigid and the plant upright. Other organelles have different roles—lysosomes break down materials, the Golgi apparatus modifies and ships proteins, and the nucleus stores genetic material and directs cell activities—so they don’t serve the same broad storage function as the vacuole in plant cells.