Question

Which of the following best compares the processes of mitosis and meiosis.

Answer 1

Answer:

A

Explanation:

All cells undergo division. They employ mitotic and meiotic division process. Mitosis is undergone by all cells while meiosis is peculiar to reproductive cells.

Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells which are identical to each other and the original cell that divided. They are identical in the sense that they have the same number of chromosomes and exact copies as the parent cell. Mitosis is used by organisms for growth and multiplication. Hence it is called DUPLICATION division. It is a one division cycle that separates sister chromatids into two identical cells.

Meiosis, on the other hand, is a cell division that results in four daughter cells (gametes) which have their chromosomal number reduced by half. During meiosis, a two step division occurs viz: Meiosis I and Meiosis II.

Meiosis I involves the separation of homologous pair of chromosomes (similar but non-identical chromosomes received from each parent) into two cells. These cells are now haploid (n).

Meiosis II, which is similar to mitosis, involves the separation of sister chromatids (duplicated chromosome). Hence in total, 4 daughter cells with as half as many chromosomes as the parent cell results.

N.B: Meiosis is used by reproductive cells to produce gametes. These gametes must be haploid in order to ensure that after fertilization with another haploid gamete (opposite), a diploid organism results.

Answer 2

The answer is A. Mitosis results in daughter cells through one division cycle while meiosis results in haploid gametes through two division cycles.