Have you had the chance to watch a tree grow over a span of several years? Did you notice that the tree grew thicker and taller? Deep in the roots of the tree and high in the growing shoots are meristem cells. Each year, the meristem cells help the tree continue to grow.
Question
When the seed of a tree first starts to grow, what would happen if the cells did not differentiate?
Responses
Other cells would differentiate.
Other cells would differentiate.
The seed could form roots, but not leaves.
The seed could form roots, but not leaves.
All of the cells would be identical.
All of the cells would be identical.
The DNA would make new cells.
1 answer
If the cells did not differentiate when the seed of a tree first starts to grow, then:
All of the cells would be identical.
This is because differentiation is the process by which cells become specialized to perform specific functions, leading to various types of cells (such as root cells, leaf cells, etc.) during the growth of the tree. If differentiation did not occur, all the cells would remain the same.
