Difference between Fragmentation and Regeneration

What is Fragmentation?

Fragmentation is the process of breaking
 off a piece of organism followed by mitosis cell division. Meiosis is 
not involved in this process as it is a mode of asexual reproduction. 
The broken part can develop into an independent adult. Reproduction of 
sea anemones, star fishes, and flatworms are well-known examples for 
fragmentation.

Fragmentation process is limited to 
invertebrates, and it is absent in vertebrates. This is very common 
among cyanobacteria, molds, lichens, many plants and animals like 
sponges, flatworms and sea stars. The ability of fragmentation depends 
on the complexity of the organism. It may or may not be intentional and 
may occur naturally or by predators. Most of the time, after the 
splitting occurs, both fragments are capable of regenerating into 
complete individuals.

What is Regeneration?

Regeneration is a modified form of 
fragmentation. It is known as a process that makes genomes, cells 
organs, organisms, and ecosystems resilient after disturbances or 
damage. Every species living on earth can regenerate, but only a few 
species use it as an asexual reproduction method, thus producing new 
individuals by their body parts.

Planarian flatworms are highly adapted 
with regeneration capabilities because of their asexual reproduction 
method. Among the vertebrates, tailed amphibian (Salamanders and newts) 
and certain lizards (geckos) are highly adapted to regenerate their 
limbs, tails, jaws, eyes and certain internal organs. As they are more 
complex multicellular animals, they cannot use regeneration to reproduce
 or as an asexual reproduction method. Star fishes also have the same 
ability to regenerate their arm, but unlike tailed amphibians and 
lizards, lost arms of star fishes could regenerate a complete new 
organism.

There are two major steps in the 
regeneration process. Firstly adult cells de-differentiate into stem 
cells. Stem cells are similar to embryonic cells. These stem cells then 
develop and differentiate into new tissues thereby making new parts.

Some differences between fregmentation and  regeneration

• Fragmentation is limited to invertebrate forms while regeneration is present in both vertebrates and invertebrates.

• Fragmentation is a method of reproduction (E.g. Star fish). 
Regeneration can be used as a reproduction method (E.g. Star fish) or it
 can be used to regenerate lost body parts (E.g. Lizards).

• In fragmentation, both parts produce new organisms while, in 
regeneration, when it is not for reproduction, the separated part cannot
 grow into a new organism.

• Regeneration is a modified form of fragmentation.

• Regeneration is more commonly seen in animals than in plants while 
fragmentation is more commonly seen in plants than in animals (E.g. 
Nonvascular plants).

• Fragmentation can be found only in certain organisms while various 
forms of regeneration can be found in almost all the animals living on 
the earth.

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