Which process completes cell division by dividing the cytoplasm?

Which process completes cell division by dividing the cytoplasm?

• A. Mitosis
• B. Interphase
• C. Anaphase
• D. Cytokinesis

Answer: (D)

Dividing the cytoplasm to finish cell division is cytokinesis. After the nucleus has complete its division during mitosis, the cell must physically split into two separate cells, and cytokinesis accomplishes that last step. In animal cells, a contractile actin ring tightens the cell membrane at the center, creating a cleavage furrow that pinches the cell membrane inward until two daughter cells form. In plant cells, vesicles derived from the Golgi coalesce at the center to build a cell plate, which eventually fuses with the plasma membrane and forms separating cell walls, dividing the cytoplasm. Mitosis refers to the division of the nucleus, interphase is the period of growth and DNA replication between divisions, and anaphase is a phase of mitosis where sister chromatids are pulled apart. Thus, cytokinesis is the process that physically splits the cytoplasm to complete cell division.

Dividing the cytoplasm to finish cell division is cytokinesis. After the nucleus has complete its division during mitosis, the cell must physically split into two separate cells, and cytokinesis accomplishes that last step. In animal cells, a contractile actin ring tightens the cell membrane at the center, creating a cleavage furrow that pinches the cell membrane inward until two daughter cells form. In plant cells, vesicles derived from the Golgi coalesce at the center to build a cell plate, which eventually fuses with the plasma membrane and forms separating cell walls, dividing the cytoplasm. Mitosis refers to the division of the nucleus, interphase is the period of growth and DNA replication between divisions, and anaphase is a phase of mitosis where sister chromatids are pulled apart. Thus, cytokinesis is the process that physically splits the cytoplasm to complete cell division.