What does indeterminate cleavage result in?

Indeterminate cleavage refers to a type of early embryonic cell division that results in cells that have the potential to develop into complete organisms. This form of cleavage is commonly seen in organisms that have a radial symmetrically arranged embryos, such as deuterostomes, which include vertebrates.

During indeterminate cleavage, each blastomere (cell resulting from the division) retains the capability to form a whole organism if it is separated from the other cells. This characteristic is crucial in developmental biology, as it enables mechanisms such as twinning in mammals—where an embryo can split to form identical twins, each capable of developing into a complete individual.

In contrast, if cleavage were determinate, then the fate of each cell would be fixed from an early stage, leading to specialized cells that cannot develop into complete organisms if separated. Thus, the nature of indeterminate cleavage is significant as it emphasizes developmental potential and versatility in early embryonic stages.