In which of the following tissues meiosis may take place? epidermis of skin, lining of gut, red bone marrow, seminiferous tubules of testes.
1 Answer
Meiosis takes place only in gonads. All other tissues undergo mitosis. e.g.
- the epidermis of skin,
- the lining of gut,
- the red bone marrow.
Explanation:
Seminiferous tubules of testes are site of formation of sperms, i.e. male gametes. Meiosis produces haploid cells like gametes used for reproduction.
The skin is constantly rubbing against things and dead skin cells are being shed. These cells should be replaced quickly to keep the skin intact and healthy, especially if there is an injury. So bottom layer of skin epidermis is continuously giving rise to new cell by mitosis.
Cells lining the alimentary organs like stomach, intestine, etc are continuously replaced by new cells. The lining undergoes abrasion due to passage of food. Thus the cells need to keep dividing to keep the lining uninjured and healthy.
Red bone marrow is the tissue where blood cells are generated. It is one of the fastest dividing tissue of our body. Billions of RBCs and WBCs dye everyday and are immediately replaced in healthy adults.
(There are cells which do not undergo mitosis like neurons. Then there are cells which divide at slower rate, like fibroblasts.)
