Anatomy and Physiology II Practice Test

What is the process called through which primary germ layers develop into tissues?

1. Histogenesis

2. Organogenesis

3. Mitosis

4. Gastrulation

The correct answer is: Histogenesis

The process through which primary germ layers develop into tissues is known as histogenesis. This is a critical phase in embryonic development where the three primary germ layers—ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm—give rise to the various types of tissues that form the organs and systems of the body. Histogenesis entails the differentiation of cells within these layers into specific tissue types, such as epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous tissues. While organogenesis is a related process, which focuses specifically on the formation of organs from these tissues, histogenesis is more foundational, dealing with the very initial differentiation of germ layers into functional tissue types. Mitosis refers to the process of cell division and plays a role in growth and development but does not specifically describe the transformation of germ layers into tissues. Gastrulation is an embryonic phase that precedes histogenesis, during which the three germ layers are formed from the single-layered blastula but does not itself involve the development of tissues from these layers.