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Protoplasm

This is the living substance that makes up the inside of the cell, and is often divided into cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. It may also be called bioplasm. Protoplasm is most abundant in animals; in plants, the bulk taken up by protoplasm in animals may be taken up by the tonoplast, a large water-filled vacuole enclosed by a membrane.

The protoplasm is not just goo; it's actually structurally complex, composed of a variety of organelles, microtubules, and a suspension of a variety of organic materials. It is the environment in which most life-sustaining chemical processes take place. All the contents inside the cell membrane or wall are considered part of the protoplasm, including vacuoles, nuclei, cytoplasm, mitochondria, and chloroplasts.

The perception of protoplasm has changed dramatically over the two centuries it's been studied. In the 1800s, scientists considered cells blobs of more or less homogenous liquid they called protoplasm. We have gradually come to appreciate how complex the cell really is.

Web Resources On Protoplasm

Physical properties of protoplasm
Protoreaction of Protoplasm

Book Resources On Protoplasm

Protoplasm by William Seifriz
Protoplasm: physical life and law by Lionel S. Beale

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