Question

In the worm Caenorhabditis elegans the fertilized egg divides by mitosis to produce 1,090 somatic cells. But the adult worm has only 959 cells. What happens to the 131 other cells formed during worm embryo development? What might happen if the 131 cells did not undergo this process?

Answer 1

The correct answer is given below:

Step-by-step explanation:

Caenorhabditis elegans is a round worm. It is a microscopic organism that lives in the soil. It is regarded as a model organisms because its organ systems such as nervous, muscular and reproductive are similar as in higher animals such as mice and humans. 131 cells formed in the developing embryo die by the process of apoptosis. It is a programmed cell death. The cell death is not random; but which cells will die and at what stage is completely programed.