Differentiated tissues take more time to develop than do undifferentiated tissues. Bacteria, for example, reproduce a new generation every 20 minutes, but humans take about 20 years. Bacteria occupy more ecological niches than humans occupy and have much more total biomass. What, if any, is the advantage of differentiation?

Question

nincompoop · Answer

advantage of differentiation in general?

nincompoop · Answer

cell differentiation, I would posit, is a characteristic that may be found only in multi-cellular organisms, particularly that involve embryonic development. differentiation allows flexibility for cells to support a large complex of roles - cells may develop for specific task, that single-celled may be disadvantaged such as predation or change in environment or resource.