Identify what characteristic is required to form multi-cellular organism.
Not what you're looking for?
Identify what characteristic is required to form multi-cellular organism. Does the eukaryotic cell has it and the prokaryotic doesn't
Purchase this Solution
Solution Preview
The origin(s) of multicellular life on Earth is a fascinating and widely debated topic. Your question asks whether the characteristics of cells that allow multicellular organisms to evolve are found in prokaryotes or eukaryotes. It turns out that multicellular forms consist of eukaryotic cells, although it is also thought that multicellularity arose through colonial prokaryotic intermediate forms. Multicellular life evolved at least five times, leading to the distinct multicellular lineages of the green algae-land plants, red algae, fungi, animals, and brown algae. The earliest fossil evidence of multicellular organisms places their origin at about 700 million years ago (http://www.bio.ilstu.edu/armstrong/syllabi/222book/Chapt%203.htm).
Multicellular forms of life have the following characteristics:
1) they reproduce sexually
2) they have tissues and organs made of specialized cells that perform various functions, such as digesting and circulating nutrients and oxygen and getting rid of wastes
There are a number of theories about why multicellularity evolved; I will attach a number of documents here for you so you can read up on this if you are interested. Prior to the origin of eukaryotes (~ 2 billion years ago), there were only prokaryotes around, having evolved ...
Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
Hemophilia: Fact or Fiction
Do you know the truth about hemophilia? Test your knowledge here.
Parts of the Brain
This quiz will test your knowledge on different areas of the brain.
The Heart
This quiz test the understanding of the heart and some of its parts. It is important to understand how the heart functions and what makes it function.
Labor Comfort Measures
Do you know how to comfort someone in labor?
The Transfer of Energy in an Ecosystem
This quiz will assess your knowledge of how energy is transferred in an ecosystem and the different levels of trophic organization.