adjective
- Relating to or denoting a type of embryonic cleavage in which the entire egg cell divides completely into smaller cells.
Usage: biology; embryology; technical
Examples
- Holoblastic cleavage occurs in eggs with little or no yolk, such as those of mammals and sea urchins.
- In holoblastic development, the entire embryo is divided into blastomeres during early cell division.
- The sea urchin exhibits holoblastic cleavage, making it a common model organism for embryological study.
- Unlike meroblastic cleavage, holoblastic cleavage results in the complete division of the egg cytoplasm.