Question

Explain why sexually reproducing organisms need to have two different types of cell division. What are the advantages of mitosis and of meiosis?

Answer 1

Mitosis and meiosis are both types of cell division, BUT

Mitosis is when a cell divides to produce two identical cells.
This is for renewing cells and repairing wounds etc.

Meiosis devices a parent cell into two haploid cells (half the chromosomes) these haploid cells (sperm in males eggs in females) combine to form a diploid gamete (first cell of a baby) so meiosis is the sex cells.



[Meiosis is important because it reduces the number of chromosomes by half allowing sexual reproduction to occur. If meiosis did not happen, the cell would have too many DNA pairs. This would result in the death of the cell or other life-threatening complications with offspring]

Answer 2

Mitosis creates identical copies of the original cells.