Read Next
Discover
Science & Tech
blastula
biology
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
blastula
Category:
Science & Tech
- Related Topics:
- cleavage
- blastoderm
- blastocoel
blastula, hollow sphere of cells, or blastomeres, produced during the development of an embryo by repeated cleavage of a fertilized egg. The cells of the blastula form an epithelial (covering) layer, called the blastoderm, enclosing a fluid-filled cavity, the blastocoel. After the blastula develops, it undergoes transition to the gastrula (q.v.), a process called gastrulation. In organisms such as mammals, the earlier morula (q.v.), a berrylike cluster of cells, develops into a somewhat different form of blastula, the blastocyst (q.v.).