Question: what is the difference between a central vacuole and a contractile vacuole?
Answer: Vacuoles, like vesicles, are membrane-bound sacs; however, vacuoles are significantly larger than vesicles. ... Another type of vacuole is the contractile vacuole of protists that functions to pump excess water out of the cell. Plant cells have a large central vacuole bounded by a membrane called the tonoplast.