What is the difference between Mitosis and Meiosis?

Question

Mitosis and meiosis are both processes which describe the production of new cells. Mitosis produces 2 daughter cells which are genetically identical to the parent cell. Each daughter cell is diploid (contains the normal number of chromosomes). This is the result of DNA replication and 1 cell division. Mitosis is used in growth and asexual reproduction. Meiosis produces 4 daughter cells, each of which are unidentical to the parent cell and to one another. Each daughter cell is haploid (contains half the number of normal chromosomes). This is the result of DNA replication, followed by crossing over of homologous chromosomes and separation of chromosomes. There are two cell divisions: the parent cell divides once and then each cell produced by this first division divides once. Meiosis is used to produce gametes(sperm and egg cells), the cells of sexual reproduction. Two gametes fuse to form a zygote, a diploid cell with the full number of chromosomes.

Answer 1

All living things must be able to reproduce, either for growth and repair or for reproduction. Growth and repair involves the production of somatic cells (those not directly involved in reproduction), also known as mitosis. Mitosis involves a cell with 2 copies of each chromosome cloning itself, yielding a second cell with 2 copies of each chromosome.

Cells involved in reproduction (gametes) must have only 1 copy of each chromosome. The process to create games is meiosis, during which a single cell goes through two rounds of replication to yield 4 gamete cells each having 1 copy of the organism's chromosomes.

During sexual reproduction, a male gamete (sperm) will combine with a female gamete (egg). Since each gamete has a single copy of each chromosome, they will combine their copies to create a new organism with 2 copies of each chromosome: half of the genetic material will be from the male and the other half will be from the female.