Answer
Gap junctions in animals and plasmodesmata in plants are small channels that connect adjacent cells and allow intracellular mediators to diffuse through. Transferring signaling molecules allows one cell to relay its current state to its neighbor. This allows a group of nearby cells to coordinate their response to a single signal that only one cell has received. Plant cells are almost completely connected by plasmodesmata, making the entire plant into one large system.
Work Step by Step
Gap junctions in animals and plasmodesmata in plants are small channels that connect adjacent cells and allow intracellular mediators to diffuse through. Transferring signaling molecules allows one cell to relay its current state to its neighbor. This allows a group of nearby cells to coordinate their response to a single signal that only one cell has received. Plant cells are almost completely connected by plasmodesmata, making the entire plant into one large system.
