Mitosis vs Meiosis
Posted October 7, 2022 by Anusha ‐ 2 min read
Mitosis is a process of asexual reproduction in which the cell divides in two producing a replica, with an equal number of chromosomes in each resulting diploid cell. Meiosis is a type of cellular reproduction in which the number of chromosomes are reduced by half through the separation of homologous chromosomes, producing two haploid cells.
Differences between Mitosis and Meiosis
| S.No. | Differences | Mitosis | Meiosis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Type of Reproduction | Asexual | Sexual |
| 2 | Genetically | Similar | Different |
| 3 | Crossing Over | No, crossing over cannot occur. | Yes, mixing of chromosomes can occur. |
| 4 | Number of Divisions | One | Two |
| 5 | Pairing of Homologs | No | Yes |
| 6 | Mother Cells | Can be either haploid or diploid | Always diploid |
| 7 | Number of Daughter Cells produced | 2 diploid cells | 4 haploid cells |
| 8 | Chromosome Number | Remains the same. | Reduced by half. |
| 9 | Chromosomes Pairing | Does Not Occur | Takes place during zygotene of prophase I and continue upto metaphase I. |
| 10 | Creates | Makes everything other than sex cells. | Sex cells only: female egg cells or male sperm cells. |
| 11 | Takes Place in | Somatic Cells | Germ Cells |
| 12 | Chiasmata | Absent | Observed during prophase I and metaphase I. |
| 13 | Spindle Fibres | Disappear completely in telophase. | Do not disappear completely in telophase I. |
| 14 | Nucleoli | Reappear at telophase | Do not reappear at telophase I. |
| 15 | Steps | Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase. | (Meiosis 1) Prophase I, Metaphase I, Anaphase I, Telophase I; (Meiosis 2) Prophase II, Metaphase II, Anaphase II and Telophase II. |
| 16 | Karyokinesis | Occurs in Interphase. | Occurs in Interphase I. |
| 17 | Cytokinesis | Occurs in Telophase. | Occurs in Telophase I and in Telophase II. |
| 18 | Centromeres Split | The centromeres split during anaphase. | The centromeres do not separate during anaphase I, but during anaphase II. |
| 19 | Nature of Prophase | Simple | Complicated |
| 20 | Prophase | Duration of prophase is short, usually of few hours. | Prophase is comparatively longer and may take days. |
| 21 | Synapsis | No Synapsis | Synapsis of Homologous chromosomes takes place during prophase. |
| 22 | Exchange of Segments | Two chromatids of a chromosome do not exchange segments during prophase. | Chromatids of two homologous chromosome exchange segments during crossing over. |
| 23 | Discovered by | Walther Flemming Oscar | Hertwig |
| 24 | Function | Cellular reproduction and general growth and repair of the body. | Genetic diversity through sexual reproduction. |