Chapter 26, Problem 1CONQ

What four types of cellular processes must occur to enable a fertilized egg to develop into an adult multicellular animal? Briefly discuss the role of each process.

Summary Introduction

To review:

Thefunction of four cellular processes that are required to enable a fertilized egg to develop into an adult multicellular animal.

Introduction:

Development is a continuous change in shape, size, and function, throughout the life of an organism. The multicellular development in animals follows a body pattern, which depends on the arrangement of cells and their specialization.

Explanation of Solution

During the period of development, the cells divide repeatedly to produce different cells with amazing complexity and precision.For the development of human embryos, the following processes are necessary to produce a multicellular organismThefour essential processes are mentioned below:

1. Cell division: It is one of the significant processesrequired to produce more new daughter cells that are involved in the making of various body parts.

2. Celldifferentiation: It occurs when a cell acquires a particular function. It is required to create different cell types to carry out specialized functions.

3. Cellmovement – It is needed during embryonic development to produce an embryo with proper organization of germ layers and cells.

4. Celldeath – It is essential for the construction of various structures of the body.

When an embryo is developing, all the above steps are required for the proper production of body organs.The timing of gene expression and the localization of gene products at precise regions in the fertilized are the critical phenomena that underline the coordination between various processes.

For example, in mammals, the hand is a flattened oval structure in the early embryonic stage of development. The fingers are developed due to the occurrence of cell death present in between the region of every finger.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be concluded that afertilized eggdevelops into an adult multicellular animal with the help of four essential processes, namely cell movement, cell division, cell death, and cell differentiation. The coordination of these four events leads to the formation of a body with a particular pattern.