Comparing Animal & Plant Cells
Science: KS3, topic 1.1.14
Differentiation in Plants and Animals
When cells differentiate, they acquire different sub-cellular structures. Cell differentiation can happen at different stages of development in plants and animals.
Plants
- Many plant cells can differentiate throughout their lives.
- This means that plants are always able to create new tissues.
Animals
- Most animal cells differentiate early on in their development.
- In mature animals, cells mostly divide (one cell splits to create two cells) to replace cells and repair tissues that are already present.
- New tissues are rarely created by cell differentiation.
Test yourself on Comparing Animal & Plant Cells
What happens to a cell when it differentiates?
A plant and a mature animal both have damaged tissue. The plant's cells can still differentiate, but the animal's cells mostly cannot. Which is more likely to grow a completely new type of tissue to repair the damage?