Question

How do the products of- Meiosis I differ from those in Meiosis II?

Answer 1

The type of cell division where one diploid cell divides twice to form four haploid daughter cells is called Meiosis a reductional division. One germ cell goes through the meiosis cycle twice to form four haploid gametes.

Complete answer:
Meiosis occurs in the germ cells of sexually reproducing organisms. It is responsible for reducing the ploidy level of gametes from diploid to haploid. It occurs in two steps- Meiosis I and Meiosis II. Two nuclear divisions are followed by- two subsequent cellular divisions in this cycle. The gametes have one copy of each parent chromosome, and their chromosomal content is halved, w.r.t their parents.

In Meiosis I, the separation of homologous chromosomes occurs, and two daughter cells are formed. It is divided into 4 major stages- Prophase I, Metaphase I, Anaphase I, and Telophase I. Prophase I is the longest phase and is further divided into 5 substages- Leptotene, Zygotene, Pachytene, Diplotene, Diakinesis, and Cytokinesis.
In Meiosis II, the product of Meiosis I undergoes the second cycle of meiosis. The separation of sister chromatids occurs, and four haploid daughter cells are formed. It is divided into 4 major stages- Prophase II, Metaphase II, Anaphase II, and Telophase II.

The difference between the products of Meiosis I and Meiosis II are-

Meiosis I	Meiosis II
The products are obtained after the first cell division cycle.	The products are obtained after the second cell division cycle.
The number of products formed or cells produced is two.	The number of products formed or cells produced is four.
The parent cell is one diploid cell, and the daughter cells are two haploid cells.	The parent cells are two haploid cells, and the daughter cells are 4 haploid cells.
Chromosome number in the products is halved w.r.t their parents.	The chromosome number remains the same w.r.t their parents.
In the daughter cells, the homologous chromosomes are separated from each other.	The separation of homologous chromosomes does not occur in this process.
The sister chromatids are intact in the daughter cells.	The sister chromatids are separated in the daughter cells.
The centromere of the chromosome is not split.	The centromere of the chromosome gets separated in this process.

Note: The separation of homologous chromosomes occurs during the Anaphase I phase of the Meiosis I cycle. The chromosomes are pulled apart from each other towards the opposite poles.
The separation of sister chromatids occurs during the Anaphase II phase of the Meiosis II cycle. The sister chromatids are pulled apart from each other towards the opposite poles, and the splitting of centromeres also occurs.