Final answer:
The main difference between cytokinesis in plant and animal cells is that animal cells use a cleavage furrow to divide while plant cells form a cell plate due to the presence of a rigid cell wall.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main difference between cytokinesis in plant and animal cells relates to how the cytoplasm divides to form two daughter cells. In animal cells, cytokinesis is accomplished by the formation of a cleavage furrow that pinches the cell in two. The inward pinching of the plasma membrane is driven by a ring of actin and myosin filaments that contract to deepen the furrow until the cell is split into two distinct entities.
In contrast, plant cells, which possess a rigid cell wall, cannot undergo the same constriction process. Instead, a structure known as the cell plate forms in the middle of the cell, at the location of the former metaphase plate. This cell plate grows outward to reach the edges of the cell, eventually fusing with the cell membrane and leading to the formation of new cell walls that separate the two daughter cells. The existence of a cell wall in plants necessitates this alternate mechanism, as the rigid structure cannot simply be pinched in two like the more flexible plasma membrane of animal cells.