Question
Question: How would you compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis...
How would you compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis
Solution
The two important processes of cell division that occur in all the living cells where one process helps in replacing the damaged or lost cells and another process plays a significant role in the process of evolution.
Complete answer:
| Mitosis | Meiosis |
|---|---|
| It occurs in the vegetative cells of all living organisms. | It occurs in the reproductive cells of all living organisms. |
| It is also called equatorial division because, at the end of mitotic division, the number of chromosomes present in the parent cells is equal to the number of chromosomes in the daughter cells. | It is also called reduction division because at the end of meiotic division the number of chromosomes in the daughter cells get reduced to half of the parenteral chromosomes |
| The four phases of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. | Meiosis has two stages meiosis-I and meiosis-II which are further divided into four phases namely prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase I and II respectively. |
| Prophase is not divided into any further stages. | Prophase-I of meiosis-I is further divides into five phases namely leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, diplotene, and diakinesis |
| Two daughter cells are formed at the end of the mitotic division. | Four daughter cells are formed at the end of the meiotic division |
Additional information:
- As soon as the cell exits the interphase of the cell it enters into the M phase where the cell undergoes mitotic division.
- Meiosis-I is initiated after the parenteral chromosomes have replicated to produce two identical sister chromatids at the S and meiosis-I is followed by meiosis-II.
- Mitotic division is usually restricted only to the diploid cells whereas meiotic division occurs in haploid cells.
Note: The significant contribution of mitosis is the repair of cells. The cell of the upper layer of the epidermis, cells of the lining of the gut, and blood cells are constantly replaced by mitotic division in the body.
Meiosis plays a significant role in the process of evolution.