Contrast telophase in plant and animal mitosis.

Telophase is the final stage of mitosis, where two daughter nuclei are formed at opposite poles of a cell, as the chromosomes reach their respective poles. The main distinguishing factor in this exercise is how telophase and cytokinesis occur in plant and animal cells.

Both plant and animal cells undergo similar processes during telophase: 1. Chromosomes decondense, becoming less tightly coiled and returning to their normal, thread-like chromatin state. 2. A nuclear envelope re-forms around each set of chromosomes, creating two distinct nuclei within the cell. 3. Nucleoli, the small spherical bodies within the nucleus, begin to reappear.

The main difference during telophase between plant and animal cells is cytokinesis, the process of dividing the cytoplasm to form two distinct, daughter cells. 1. Animal cells: In animal cells, cytokinesis begins with the formation of a cleavage furrow, a shallow groove around the cell's equator. The cell membrane is pinched inward by a contractile ring of actin and myosin filaments, eventually splitting the cell into two daughter cells. 2. Plant cells: In contrast, plant cells have a rigid cell wall that cannot be pinched. During cytokinesis in plant cells, a cell plate forms between the two nuclei. The cell plate is derived from vesicles produced by the Golgi apparatus, which carry cell wall components like cellulose and pectin. The vesicles fuse at the center of the cell, forming a new cell wall called the cell plate, which then grows outward, eventually fusing with the existing cell wall and creating two separate daughter cells.