gastrulation
Quick Summary
Gastrulation is a crucial stage in early embryonic development where a single-layered ball of cells, the blastula, transforms into a multilayered structure called the gastrula. This process involves significant cell movement and rearrangement, leading to the formation of three primary germ layers: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm.12
These germ layers are the foundation from which all the body's organs and tissues will eventually develop. The ectoderm forms the outer layer, giving rise to the skin, nervous system, and sense organs. The mesoderm, an intermediate layer, develops into muscles, bones, the circulatory system, and reproductive organs. The innermost layer, the endoderm, forms the lining of the digestive tract, as well as organs like the liver and lungs. Gastrulation is a fundamental step that sets the stage for organogenesis, the subsequent formation of organs.123
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- biological developmentPhenomenological aspects
… egg at the time of gastrulation, or formation of a hollow ball of cells. At this time the lower hemisphere of the embryo will be pushed inward (invaginated) to develop into the mesoderm and endoderm, and the upper hemisphere will remain on the surface, expanding in area to cover the…
Read More… egg at the time of gastrulation, or formation of a hollow ball of cells. At this time the lower hemisphere of the embryo will be pushed inward (invaginated) to develop into the mesoderm and endoderm, and the upper hemisphere will remain on the surface, expanding in area to cover the…
Read More
animal developmentGastrulationThe embryo in the blastula stage must go through profound transformations before it can approach adult organization. An adult multicellular animal typically possesses a concentric arrangement of tissues of the body; this feature is common to all animal groups above the level of the…
Read MoreThe embryo in the blastula stage must go through profound transformations before it can approach adult organization. An adult multicellular animal typically possesses a concentric arrangement of tissues of the body; this feature is common to all animal groups above the level of the…
Read More
embryoBy the process of gastrulation, the embryo differentiates into three types of tissue: the ectoderm, producing the skin and nervous system; the mesoderm, from which develop connective tissues, the circulatory system, muscles, and bones; and the endoderm, which forms
Read MoreBy the process of gastrulation, the embryo differentiates into three types of tissue: the ectoderm, producing the skin and nervous system; the mesoderm, from which develop connective tissues, the circulatory system, muscles, and bones; and the endoderm, which forms
Read More
prenatal developmentFormation of the three primary germ layers…enters into the process of gastrulation, through which the three primary germ layers segregate. Then the gastrula stage, the next advance after the blastula, begins to take form. First, cells facing the cavity of the blastocyst arrange into a layer known as the hypoblast. The thick residual layer, temporarily designated…
Read More…enters into the process of gastrulation, through which the three primary germ layers segregate. Then the gastrula stage, the next advance after the blastula, begins to take form. First, cells facing the cavity of the blastocyst arrange into a layer known as the hypoblast. The thick residual layer, temporarily designated…
Read More
