Differentiation, dedifferentiation, redifferentiation: examples sound identical. Also what is "plasticity"?
Diya Menon11th Sample
24 Sept 2026 · 1 min read
ahh I love this chapter's idea but the vocabulary is destroying me, omg.
NCERT definitions as I understood them:
- Differentiation: cells from the root apical and shoot apical meristems and the cambium mature to perform specific functions. Example: a tracheary element loses its protoplasm and gets strong lignocellulosic secondary walls.
- Dedifferentiation: living, differentiated cells that have lost the capacity to divide regain it under certain conditions. Example: interfascicular cambium and cork cambium forming from parenchyma cells.
- Redifferentiation: the cells formed by these meristems lose the capacity to divide again and mature to perform specific functions.
My mix-up: for the cambium in a dicot stem, are both intrafascicular and interfascicular cambium formed by dedifferentiation? And is the vascular cambium's activity redifferentiation or not?
And then "plasticity": the textbook says the ability of plants to follow different pathways in response to the environment or the phase of life is called plasticity, with cotton, coriander, larkspur, and buttercup as examples. In heterophylly, what's due to the phase of life and what's due to the environment?
Also development = growth + differentiation, but what are "intrinsic" and "extrinsic" factors? 😭
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[+][–]Tanvi Deshmukh12thSample· 26d ago
Let me make a mini table!! (it's the only way I survive)
Term What happens Example Differentiation cell matures for a specific function tracheary element loses protoplasm, thick lignocellulosic wall Dedifferentiation mature living cell regains division ability interfascicular cambium, cork cambium from parenchyma Redifferentiation cells from that new meristem lose division ability and mature again the secondary xylem, cork etc. cut off by those meristems Chain: differentiated, then dedifferentiated (becomes meristem), then redifferentiated (becomes differentiated again).
[+][–]Aarav Kulkarni11thSample· 26d ago
For cambium: both intrafascicular and interfascicular cambium form by dedifferentiation I think, both start as ordinary cells in the bundle region and become dividing cells. So the whole cambial ring is dedifferentiation.
[+][–]Zoya Khan12thSample· 25d ago
Aarav, only the interfascicular cambium is from dedifferentiation: the parenchyma cells between vascular bundles resume division and join up with the cambium that is already there. The intrafascicular cambium is within the vascular bundle, already present as a meristematic layer (it comes from the primary meristem), so it didn't have to regain anything. Together they form a continuous ring of vascular cambium.
[+][–]Diya Menon11thSample· 25d agoAuthor
omg yes the intrafascicular one was already a meristem! that was the missing piece. thank you Zoya didi!
[+][–]Lakshmi TripathiDropperSample· 25d ago
Plasticity examples:
- Cotton, coriander, larkspur: juvenile leaves and adult leaves look different. That is plasticity related to the phase of life (heterophylly: different leaf shapes on one plant in different phases of life).
- Buttercup: leaves of the plant growing in water are different from leaves growing in air. That is environment driven heterophylly.
Same idea, two triggers.
[+][–]Siddharth RaoDropperSample· 25d ago
Factors controlling development: intrinsic are inside the plant, intracellular (genes) and intercellular (chemicals like plant growth regulators). Extrinsic: light, temperature, water, oxygen and nutrition. If a question asks about "which is not extrinsic" look for hormones or genes.
Exam trap: dedifferentiation creates a meristem; redifferentiation makes mature, permanent cells. If the option says "formation of cork cambium", it's dedifferentiation; "formation of cork cells" or "secondary xylem" is redifferentiation.
[+][–]Harsh Gupta12thSample· 25d ago
so dedifferentiation is when a plant says "I want to go back to being a fresh college kid" and redifferentiation is "ok fine I'll pick a branch again". Accurate? (my PCM brain found a way to make it relatable, sorry)
