AP Biology Questions on Telophase and Cytokinesis

📚 Quick Study Guide

🧬 Telophase: The final stage of mitosis or meiosis II during which chromosomes arrive at the poles of the cell and begin to decondense. The nuclear envelope reforms, and the spindle apparatus disassembles. 📦 Cytokinesis: The division of the cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells. This process usually occurs in conjunction with telophase. 🐾 Animal Cell Cytokinesis: Involves the formation of a cleavage furrow, a contractile ring made of actin and myosin filaments that pinches the cell in two. 🪴 Plant Cell Cytokinesis: Involves the formation of a cell plate, a structure formed from vesicles derived from the Golgi apparatus, which eventually fuses with the existing cell wall to create two separate daughter cells. 🕰️ Timing: Cytokinesis typically begins during late anaphase and continues through telophase. 🧪 Key Differences: Plant cells have a cell wall, requiring a different mechanism (cell plate formation) for cytokinesis compared to the cleavage furrow formation in animal cells. 💡 Important Enzymes: Enzymes like kinases and phosphatases regulate the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins involved in chromosome condensation and nuclear envelope dynamics.

🧪 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following events characterizes telophase?
   1. A. Separation of sister chromatids
   2. B. Alignment of chromosomes at the metaphase plate
   3. C. Reformation of the nuclear envelope
   4. D. Condensation of chromosomes
2. What is the primary function of cytokinesis?
   1. A. DNA replication
   2. B. Nuclear division
   3. C. Cytoplasmic division
   4. D. Chromosome condensation
3. In animal cells, cytokinesis is achieved by the formation of a:
   1. A. Cell plate
   2. B. Cleavage furrow
   3. C. Spindle apparatus
   4. D. Nuclear envelope
4. How does cytokinesis differ in plant cells compared to animal cells?
   1. A. Plant cells use a cleavage furrow, while animal cells use a cell plate.
   2. B. Plant cells use a cell plate, while animal cells use a cleavage furrow.
   3. C. Plant cells do not undergo cytokinesis.
   4. D. Animal cells do not undergo cytokinesis.
5. Which structure is responsible for physically separating the cytoplasm during cytokinesis in plant cells?
   1. A. Centriole
   2. B. Cell plate
   3. C. Spindle fiber
   4. D. Cleavage furrow
6. During which phase does cytokinesis typically begin?
   1. A. Prophase
   2. B. Metaphase
   3. C. Anaphase
   4. D. Telophase
7. What happens to the chromosomes during telophase?
   1. A. They align at the metaphase plate.
   2. B. They condense tightly.
   3. C. They begin to decondense.
   4. D. They replicate.