Group 3: Submitted on: August 14, 2006

Rose Ann Esteban

Karyl Sabrina Javellana
Methence Tayuba

LABORATORY ACTIVITY
CLEAVAGE AND BLASTULA

1. Study slides and models showing cleavages and blastula stages.

2. Draw and label observed stages as seen in x.s. and w.m. preparations.
3. Classify and draw eggs on the basis of:

(a) yolk content

 (b) Cleavage pattern

4. Compare and contrast appearance of frog cleavage and blastula with Amphioxus, bird/reptile,
and mammalian embryo at same stages. Draw and label.

Frog
Frog embryo undergoes modified
holoblastic cleavage. It has much yolk
and its diameter is 2mm. Because the
vegetal yolk impedes cleavage, the
second division begins in the animal
region of the egg before the first division
has divided the vegetal cytoplasm. (C)
Frog cleavage is known to be
holoblastic. The third division is
displaced toward the animal pole. (D–H)
The vegetal hemisphere ultimately
contains larger and fewer
blastomeres than the animal half.
The frog embryo contains a blastocoel
in the animal hemisphere of the embryo.
H represents a cross section through
a midgastrula stage embryo.
Amphioxus
The Amphioxus embryo also undergoes
holoblastic cleavage. It has little yolk and
egg diameter is 0.1mm. Cells of the vegetal
hemisphere are but slightly larger than those
of the animal hemisphere, the wall of the
blastula is one cell layer in thickness, and
the blastocoel is large.

Mammal
Mammalian embryo undergoes holoblastic
cleavage. It practically has no yolk and has
an outer trophoblast and inner cell mass
formed in the blastula.
1st cleavage is meridional (N-S),
2nd cleavage is also meridional,
but at right angles to the first
cleavage plane. 3rd cleavage
is equatorial. 1st and 2nd cleavages
produce equal sized blastomeres,
but the 3rd cleavage produces
two size classes of cells. The 4th
cleavage results in three cell size
classes, the Mesomeres, the large
Macromeres and the tiny Micromeres. The
blastomeres of an eight cell embryo are
packed tightly to one another. This
phenomenon is called compaction. The
blastula is known as the ‘blastocyst’.

Bird
Bird embryo undergoes meroblastic
cleavage. Large quantities of yolk
present. It has a diameter or 30mm.
Only the germinal disk cleaves,
forming a disk of cells – the blastoderm-
resting on the yolk. A slight slit between
this and the yolk represents the blastocoel.
The blastocoel is smaller and displaced
dorsally, due to the thickness of
the ventral wall.