Final answer:
The statement 'Mitosis occurs in germ cells throughout life' is false. Germ cells undergo mitosis to maintain their population, but not continuously; they also perform meiosis to produce gametes, which do not divide until after fertilization restores the diploid state.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Mitosis occurs in germ cells throughout life' is false. Germ cells within the gonads are specialized diploid cells that are capable of mitosis to perpetuate the germ cell line and meiosis to produce haploid gametes. During the lifecycle of nearly all animals, which employ a diploid-dominant strategy, germ cells undergo mitosis to maintain their population in the gonads and perform meiosis when producing gametes. After gametes are formed through meiosis, they lose the ability to divide until they are fertilized, hence mitosis does not continually occur in germ cells. Fertilization of these haploid gametes restores the diploid state.
Mitosis is a type of cell division that occurs in somatic cells, which are the body cells. Germ cells, on the other hand, are the cells that give rise to eggs and sperm, and they undergo a different type of cell division called meiosis to produce haploid gametes. Once the gametes are formed, they are not capable of further division.
Therefore, mitosis does not occur in germ cells throughout life.