Question

Explain the difference between cytokinesis in plant cells and cytokinesis in animal cells.

Answer 1

Cytokinesis differs between plant and animal cells; animal cells form a cleavage furrow to divide, while plant cells develop a cell plate that becomes a new cell wall.

Step-by-step explanation:

Differences Between Cytokinesis in Plant and Animal Cells

Cytokinesis is the final stage of cell division, where the cytoplasm of a single eukaryotic cell splits into two, resulting in the formation of two daughter cells. The mechanisms of cytokinesis in plant cells and animal cells differ due to their structural differences.

In animal cells, cytokinesis is characterized by the formation of a cleavage furrow as a ring composed of actin and myosin filaments contracts, pulling the plasma membrane inward and eventually splitting the cell into two. This process does not require the formation of a new cell wall, as animal cells lack rigid walls.

Conversely, in plant cells, a cell plate forms at the site of division, which grows outward until it reaches the existing cell walls. This cell plate will eventually develop into a new cell wall, separating the two daughter cells. Plant cells possess a rigid cell wall made of cellulose, which necessitates this different method of division.

Unlike animal cells, plant cells do not contain centrioles and centrosomes, but have additional structures like the cell wall, chloroplasts, plasmodesmata, plastids, and a prominent central vacuole.

Answer 2

In animal cells, cytokinesis begins with a pinching inward of the cell membrane midway between the cell's two poles. This cleavage furrow separates the dividing cell into two cells. In plant cells, vesicles formed by the Golgi apparatus fuse at the midline of the dividing cell, forming a cell plate. The cell plate will eventually separate the cell into two new cells.