[Campbell Biology P.730] Which of the following statements accurately differentiates between... | Practice Question
Which of the following statements accurately differentiates between protostome and deuterostome cleavage patterns?
A: Protostome development is characterized by radial cleavage, where cells are aligned directly one above the other.
B: Deuterostome development typically exhibits spiral cleavage, with cell division planes diagonal to the vertical axis.
C: Determinate cleavage, characteristic of protostomes, means that each cell produced by early cleavage divisions retains the capacity to develop into a complete embryo.
D: Indeterminate cleavage, common in deuterostomes, allows each early embryonic cell to develop into a complete organism if separated, as seen in sea urchins.
Explanation
Deuterostome development is characterized by radial cleavage and often indeterminate cleavage. Indeterminate cleavage means that each cell produced by early cleavage divisions retains the capacity to develop into a complete embryo. This is exemplified by sea urchin embryos, where separated cells at the four-cell stage can each form a complete larva.