1. The process by which amorphous cells, produced by meristematic cell division, undergo various physiological and morphological changes during maturation in order to become specialized for a particular function. Differentiation thus produces the specific cell types that make up the separate tissues composing a plant body. At a higher level, differentiation results in the formation of the various plant organs and the division into shoot and root and into vegetative and reproductive structures. Compare growth. See also dedifferentiation. |
