How does mitosis in plant cells differ from that in animal cells?
A. Plant cells lack centrosomes.">A. Plant cells lack centrosomes.B. Plant cells lack spindle fibers.">B. Plant cells lack spindle fibers.C. Animal cells lack a cell plate.">C. Animal cells lack a cell plate.D. Animal cells lack cytokinesis.">D. Animal cells lack cytokinesis.
The correct answer is C. Animal cells lack a cell plate.
To determine the difference between mitosis in plant cells and animal cells, we need to understand the stages of mitosis and the structures involved.
Mitosis is the process of cell division where a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells. The stages of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
In animal cells, during prophase, centrosomes (structures that help organize the microtubules) move to opposite poles of the cell and form spindle fibers. The spindle fibers attach to the chromosomes to help align them in the center of the cell during metaphase.
During anaphase, the spindle fibers pull the sister chromatids apart, and they move towards the opposite ends of the cell. In the final stage, telophase, the chromosomes reach the opposite poles, and a cleavage furrow forms, which eventually pinches the cell into two separate daughter cells. This process of cell division is called cytokinesis.
In plant cells, the main difference occurs during cytokinesis. Instead of a cleavage furrow, plant cells form a cell plate. During telophase, vesicles containing cell wall components gather at the center of the cell and fuse together to form a new cell wall that separates the two daughter cells. This newly formed cell wall is called the cell plate, and it later matures into the cell wall of each daughter cell.
Therefore, the correct answer is C. Animal cells lack a cell plate. Plant cells have unique structures, such as cell plates, that are not found in animal cells during mitosis.