Plant vs Animal Cell Division
Cell division works differently in plants and animals, affecting how these organisms grow and develop throughout their lives.
In plants, cell division is concentrated in regions called meristems, typically at the growing tips. After division, plant cells elongate and then differentiate into specialized cell types. This allows plants to grow continuously throughout their lives, with height increases coming primarily from cell elongation rather than division alone.
Animal cells follow a different pattern. Cell division occurs throughout the body rather than in specific regions. Animals have finite growth, meaning they eventually stop growing. Their cells tend to be more specialized, and they lose the ability to differentiate early in development.
The human development process illustrates cell division in action. It begins with fertilisation when a sperm cell joins with an egg cell to create a zygote. This single cell undergoes repeated divisions, first becoming an embryo of 2 cells, then 4, then 8, and so on. These cells gradually differentiate into various specialized types, forming a foetus that continues developing into a fully formed baby.
🌱 Amazing fact: A single plant meristem can produce thousands of new cells throughout a plant's lifetime, which is why some trees can live for thousands of years!