Cell Division

I. What is the Cell Cycle?

The cell cycle is the series of events that take place in a cell leading to its division and duplication.Cell cycle is divided into two major phases interphase and mitotic cell division.

III. What is meiosis?

Meiosis is a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell, as in the production of gametes and plant spores.

IV. Mitosis v. Meiosis

Mitosis occurs in all eukaryotic cell tissues and produces genetically identical daughter cells with a complete set of chromosomes. In humans, mitosis produces somatic cells that are diploid, which means they contain two non-identical copies of each of the twenty-three chromosomes. One copy is derived from the person's mother and the other from the person's father.Meiosis, on the other hand, occurs only in testis and ovary tissues, producing sperm and ova . The gametes that are produced by meiosis in humans are haploid, containing only one copy of each of the twenty-three chromosomes. Because of recombination and independent assortment of parental chromosomes, the daughter cells produced by meiosis are not genetically identical.