Re: Do plant cells divide faster than animal cells?

As you probably know from your reading, the cell cycle is made up of G1, 
S, G2, and M phases, for all eukaryotic organisms.  The G1, S, and G2 
phases make-up Interphase while M signifies mitosis.  The cell cycle can 
be arrested at any one of these phases depending on any one, or a 
combination of factors, such as, cell type, tissue type, cell function, 
age of the cell, and any number of environmental influences.  It is 
possible to have many different lengths of cell cycles going on in an 
organism at one time.  Nerve cells found in the central nervous system 
(brain and spinal cord) have a very long cell cycle while peripheral 
nerves have a much shorter cell cycle.  Cells that are constantly being 
replaced, such as skin cells, have a very short cell cycle.  Cells must 
reach a certain size before they will divide.  This generally means that 
the length of the G1 phase will have the greatest effect on cell cycle 
length since this is where cell growth occurs prior to DNA replication in 
the S phase.  The website, http://www.genomesize.com/rgregory/thesis/TRG-
Ch2.pdf, has some good information on the cell cycle.  So having said the 
above, getting back to your original question, some cells in plants may 
have a shorter cell cycle than some animal cells but, some animal cells 
may have shorter cell cycles than some plant cells.  The difference in 
cell cycle lengths will thus have an effect on length of time between 
cell divisions.