MadSci Network: Development |
Here's the basic answer. Animals have determinate development meaning the fate of cells is determined while an embryo. Plants have indeterminate development meaning that meristems produce new tissues and organs throughout the life of the plant. Somatic or body cells constitute all the non-reproductive portions of an organism. Germ cells are involved in reproduction and only the genes in these cells have the potential to be passed on to the next generation during sexual reproduction. In animals embryonic cells destined to become germ cell tissue are determined early in embryo development. After that somatic cells have no genetic contribution to germ cells. A mutation, a miscopied or rearranged portion of the genetic information, in a somatic cell of an animal will not be passed on to offspring. However, anything that genetically damages the germ tissue would result in many errors being inherited by offspring. In plants meristematic cells become germ cells, in this case, sporangial tissue, each time the plant has a reproductive growth phase. Mutations in plant meristematic cells can end up in germ cells each time growth produces new reproductive structures.
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