Which term best describes non-reproductive cells that make up the body's tissues and organs?

Which term best describes non-reproductive cells that make up the body's tissues and organs?

• A. Somatic cells
• B. Gametes
• C. Stem cells
• D. Eukaryotes

Answer: (A)

Somatic cells are the non-reproductive cells that form the tissues and organs of the body. They carry the full set of chromosomes and divide by mitosis to grow and repair you, but they don’t contribute genetic material to offspring. This distinguishes them from gametes, the reproductive cells like sperm and eggs, which are designed to pass genes to the next generation and are typically haploid. Stem cells, while related, are undifferentiated cells with the capacity to become various specialized cell types, and they’re more about potential for development and repair than about the ordinary building blocks of tissues. Eukaryotes describe a broad category of organisms with complex cells that have a nucleus, not a specific type of cell within the body. So the term that best fits the description of the body’s ordinary, non-reproductive cells is somatic cells.

Somatic cells are the non-reproductive cells that form the tissues and organs of the body. They carry the full set of chromosomes and divide by mitosis to grow and repair you, but they don’t contribute genetic material to offspring. This distinguishes them from gametes, the reproductive cells like sperm and eggs, which are designed to pass genes to the next generation and are typically haploid. Stem cells, while related, are undifferentiated cells with the capacity to become various specialized cell types, and they’re more about potential for development and repair than about the ordinary building blocks of tissues. Eukaryotes describe a broad category of organisms with complex cells that have a nucleus, not a specific type of cell within the body. So the term that best fits the description of the body’s ordinary, non-reproductive cells is somatic cells.