In animal cells, cytokinesis begins with the formation of a cleavage furrow. At the site of the furrow, a ring of microfilaments contracts, much like the pulling of drawstrings. The cell is pinched in two, creating two identical daughter cells. In plant cells, cytokinesis begins when vesicles containing cell-wall material collect in the middle of the cell. The vesicles fuse, forming a large sac called the cell plate. The cell plate grows outward until its membrane fuses with the plasma membrane, separating the two daughter cells. The cell plate's contents join the parental cell wall. The result is two daughter cells, each bounded by its own continuous plasma membrane and cell wall.
