In biology, cleavage refers to a specific process that occurs after fertilization in the development of a multicellular organism. It's essentially a rapid series of cell divisions.
Key Aspects of Cleavage
- Mitotic Divisions: Cleavage involves repeated mitotic cell divisions, where a cell divides into two identical daughter cells.
- Cytoplasmic Division: According to the provided reference, cleavage is a process "whereby the enormous volume of egg cytoplasm is divided into numerous smaller, nucleated cells". This division of the cytoplasm is crucial.
- Blastomeres: The cells produced during cleavage are called blastomeres. These are smaller cells created from the original egg cell.
Table Summarizing Cleavage
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Process | Series of rapid mitotic cell divisions after fertilization |
| Primary Goal | To divide the large egg cytoplasm into smaller, manageable cells |
| Resulting Cells | Blastomeres (smaller, nucleated cells) |
In short, cleavage is a vital early step in embryonic development focused on rapidly increasing the number of cells from a single fertilized egg, preparing the embryo for more complex developmental processes.
