In a plant cell, what occurs during telophase?

• A. Chromosomes align at the equatorial plane
• B. Cell elongation occurs
• C. Cell plate formation happens
• D. Nuclear division takes place

Answer: (C)

During telophase in a plant cell, cell plate formation occurs as a key process of cytokinesis, which follows mitosis. After the chromosomes have been separated and moved to opposite poles during anaphase and the nuclear envelope begins to reform, the plant cell initiates the process of dividing into two daughter cells. In plant cells, this is accomplished by the formation of a cell plate at the center of the cell, which eventually develops into a new cell wall separating the two daughter cells.

The formation of the cell plate involves vesicles filled with cell wall materials that fuse at the center of the cell and gradually expand outward until they fuse with the existing cell membrane. This process is vital for maintaining the integrity and structure of plant cells, which require a rigid cell wall for support.

In contrast, the other processes mentioned do not occur during telophase. For instance, the alignment of chromosomes at the equatorial plane occurs during metaphase, while cell elongation typically occurs during interphase or in preparatory stages of cell division, not during telophase itself. Nuclear division, or karyokinesis, takes place earlier in the cell cycle, specifically during the prophase, metaphase, and anaphase stages of mitosis. Thus,