Final answer:
Multipotent stem cells have the capacity to divide and generate new, specialized cells within a specific lineage or group of lineages, such as blood cells, ensuring the maintenance and repair of certain tissues.
Step-by-step explanation:
When we say that some cell populations have self-renewing multipotent stem cells, we mean that these cells have the ability to continually divide and produce new stem cells that can, under certain conditions, become specialized cells within a certain lineage. For instance, multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow can differentiate into various types of blood cells, such as red blood cells or white blood cells. This characteristic ensures that the organism can maintain and repair tissues as needed. They form part of a hierarchy in which totipotent stem cells can become any cell type, while pluripotent stem cells can develop into many types but not all. Under these, multipotent stem cells can only become cell types within specific lineages.