How would you compare meiosis to mitosis?

Question

What is the difference between the two cellular processes? Is the ability to creat a haploid vs a diploid copy the best way to differentiate?

Answer 1

There are quite a few differences between the two. Mitosis begins with one cell and produces two, identical (generally diploid, depending on the species) daughter cells. Mitosis also only has one phase (multiple steps, but one phase). Mitosis is how somatic (think of regular body cells) replenish themselves and this happens all the time inside the body. Meiosis takes place in two phases, and goes from the original cell to creating 4 (generally haploid) cells called gametes, each of these gametes will fuse with another gamete to form a zygote in the process of reproduction. So meiosis is a process for division of sex or reproductive cells and is specific to those types of cell.