Through a microscope, you can see a cell plate beginning to develop across the middle of a cell and nuclei forming on either side of the cell plate. This cell is most likely
A) an animal cell in the process of cytokinesis.
B) a plant cell in the process of cytokinesis.
C) an animal cell in the S phase of the cell cycle.
D) a bacterial cell dividing.
E) a plant cell in metaphase.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The development of a cell plate across the middle of a cell, and the formation of nuclei on either side of the cell plate, are characteristic of cytokinesis in plant cells, which is the process by which a single cell divides into two daughter cells. Animal cells, on the other hand, form a cleavage furrow rather than a cell plate during cytokinesis, and bacterial cells divide by binary fission, which does not involve the formation of a cell plate or nuclei. The S phase of the cell cycle is characterized by DNA synthesis, which would not be visible under a microscope in the way described in the question. Finally, metaphase is a stage of mitosis, not cytokinesis, and would not involve the formation of a cell plate.

Through a Microscope, You Can See a Cell Plate Beginning