prokaryote, also spelled procaryote, any organism that lacks a distinct nucleus and other organelles due to the absence of internal membranes. Bacteria are among the best-known prokaryotic organisms. The lack of internal membranes in prokaryotes distinguishes them from eukaryotes. The prokaryotic cell membrane is made up of phospholipids and constitutes the cell’s primary osmotic barrier.

The main difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is that eukaryotes contain membrane-bound organelles, and prokaryotes do not. This means that prokaryotes do not have a nucleus; instead, they keep their DNA in a cell region called the nucleoid.

Cell Size At 0.1–5.0 µm in diameter, prokaryotic cells are significantly smaller than eukaryotic cells, which have diameters ranging from 10–100 µm ( Figure 3.6 ). The small size of prokaryotes allows ions and organic molecules that enter them to quickly spread to other parts of the cell.

Bacteria and Archaea are both prokaryotes but differ enough to be placed in separate domains. An ancestor of modern Archaea is believed to have given rise to Eukarya, the third domain of life. Major groups of Archaea and Bacteria are shown. Characteristics of bacterial phyla are described in Figure 22.12 and Figure 22.13.

All cells fall into one of these two broad categories. Only the single-celled organisms of the domains Bacteria and Archaea are classified as prokaryotes— pro means before and kary means nucleus. Animals, plants, fungi, and protists are all eukaryotes— eu means true—and are made up of eukaryotic cells.

A prokaryote is a simple, single-celled (unicellular) organism that lacks an organized nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelle. We will shortly come to see that this is significantly different in eukaryotes. Prokaryotic DNA is found in a central part of the cell: the nucleoid.