Intracellular vs. Extracellular Digestion: Key Differences Explained
Intracellular digestion happens inside the cell—food is engulfed and broken down within a vacuole—while extracellular digestion occurs outside the cell, where enzymes secreted into the gut or environment break food down into absorbable molecules. Students often confuse the two because “intra” and “extra” sound similar, and both involve enzymes; textbooks sometimes describe them side-by-side without…