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Animals have two basic cell types: somatic cells and germ cells. Somatic cells are formed during asexual reproduction by mitosis, whereas germ cells are formed during sexual reproduction by meiosis. The term vegetal cells refers to cells that are not somatic.The main distinction between somatic and germ cells is that somatic cells are engaged in the construction of multicellular animals’ bodies, whilst germ cells are involved in the synthesis of haploid gametes that are used in sexual reproduction. Because somatic mutations are not engaged in sexual reproduction, they do not pass down across generations. Mutations in germ cells, on the other hand, are passed down through generations via sexual reproduction.
Difference between Germ cells and Somatic cells
Parameters | Germ Cells | Somatic Cells |
Definition | Germ cells are the cells responsible for the sexual reproduction of new organisms. | Regular body cells that repair and reproduce tissues are known as somatic cells. |
Originated from | Germ cells are derived from the primordial streaks of the embryo. | Stem cells are the source of somatic cells. |
Function | Gametes are created using germ cells. | They serve a variety of tasks in the body’s diverse tissues. |
Process | Both mitosis and meiosis occur during their development. | Mitosis is a process they go through. |
Mutation | The mutation is passed down from generation to generation. | The mutation is not passed down to future generations. |
Types of cell division in germ cells and somatic cells
Somatic cells make up the majority of your body’s cells. They include skin cells, bone cells, red blood cells, and a number of other cells. Somatic cells are diploid, meaning they contain two complete sets of chromosomes. Diploid cells in humans have 46 chromosomes in total.
Germ cells are diploid as well, however they can only be found in the gonads. Female gonads are the ovaries, whereas male gonads are the testes. Females produce eggs in these organs, and males produce sperm in these organs. Haploid cells have just one pair of chromosomes, which means gametes have only one set of chromosomes. Gametes in humans have 23 chromosomes.
To make haploid gametes, diploid germ cells must go through several rounds of cell division and form numerous new cells. A germline is the entire cell sequence from the germ cell to the gamete. In germline cells, there are two forms of cell division:
- Mitosis is a single round of cell division that produces an exact duplicate of a cell.
- Meiosis is a two-step cell division process that results in cells that have half the number of chromosomes as the initial cell.
Function of Germ cells and Somatic cells
Function of Germ cells: Germ cells divide into gametes (spermatozoa or ova), which fertilise to pass on the parental genes to the following generation. 1 Meiotic division, which occurs during germ cell development and involves mosaic recombination of homologous chromosomes, is exclusively seen in germ cells. As a consequence, each chromosome in a haploid germ cell is made up of random bits and pieces from the two homologous parental chromosomes. Sexual reproduction is the most effective technique for species preservation and adaptation because mosaic recombination and meiosis can avoid the fixing of accumulating mutations that have occurred spontaneously on one chromosome through gene replication or other processes. Despite the fact that germ cell differentiation has little to do with individual homeostasis, it is one of the most crucial processes in multicellular organisms.
Function of Somatic cells: Adult stem cells are known as somatic cells. They are the cells that replace old ones, repair damage, and contribute to growth and development, and they may be found pretty much everywhere in your body.
A somatic cell divides and duplicates its DNA during mitosis, resulting in two identical cells. One type of cell remains a stem cell, while the other develops into the required cell type.
Somatic cells are present in niches throughout the body, in various organs and tissues. To begin dividing, they must first be activated.
Conclusion
Cells are the basic units of life in humans and other living things, as we all know. Mr. Hooke, as we all know, discovered cells in the 1600s. It became recognised as the functional, primary, or smallest unit of life from then on.
There are two basic cell kinds. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are the two types of cells. Prokaryotic cells are found in microorganisms such as bacteria and cyanobacteria, whereas eukaryotic cells are found in multi-level or multicellular living beings. Germ cells and somatic cells are two types of cells. Let’s have a look at the differences.
Germ cells are capable of producing and reproducing. Through sexual reproduction, they produce gametes in living creatures. The germ cells in most living species, such as mammals, originate in the embryo’s stomach and subsequently move to the gonads. The process of mitosis does not produce these gametes. The process of meiosis, on the other hand, produces gametes. From the daughter cells they produce, gametes only have one pair of chromosomes.
A gamete cell, on the other hand, is not the same as a somatic cell. Multicellular creatures also contain it. A somatic cell has a diploid number of chromosomes, but germ cells only have one pair. The word soma is derived from the Greek word soma, which means body. If the germ cells come from the embryo’s stomach, somatic cells can be found in blood, connective tissue, bones, skin, and internal organs. Somatic cells are generated through the processes of mitosis and cytokinesis, whereas germ cells are produced through the process of meiosis. This process of reproduction continues to replace and create old and damaged cells.
