Final answer:
Aside from growth, mitosis serves the roles of tissue repair and regeneration, as well as asexual reproduction in both plants and animals. Cells produced via mitosis replace damaged cells or can reproduce an organism asexually. It is an essential process in the development of an adult organism from diploid cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
Roles of Mitosis in Plants and Animals
Aside from growth, there are two primary roles of mitosis in plants and animals:
- Tissue repair and regeneration: In both plants and animals, cells are subject to wear and tear, damage, and aging. Mitosis is crucial for replacing these damaged or worn-out cells to maintain functional tissues and organs.
- Asexual reproduction: Certain plants and animals reproduce asexually. Mitosis is the process that allows these organisms to reproduce by producing genetically identical copies of themselves without the need for sexual reproduction.
Cells produced through mitosis serve various functions, such as repairing dead or damaged cells or enabling asexual reproduction. In plants, mitosis is evident by the formation of new cell walls between daughter cells, while in animals, the actin ring facilitates cell separation. Specific cells, like mature cardiac muscle cells and nerve cells, may enter the Gap zero (Go) phase, where they do not prepare for further division. Mitosis is essential not just for individual cell reproduction but also plays a vital role in the overall development of an adult organism from diploid cells.