Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Definition

noun

A type of cleavage on the basis of the potentiality of blastomeres in which the blastomeres (resulting from cleavage) are qualitatively equipotential and each has the ability to develop into a complete embryo when isolated since its developmental fate is not determined in the early embryonic stage. This type of cleavage is characteristic of deuterostomes.

Supplement

An embryonic cleavage is said to be indeterminate when it produces cells with a complete set of undisturbed animal or vegetal cytoarchitectural features and when isolated can individually develop into a whole organism.

Compare: indeterminate cleavage