Question

Both mitosis and meiosis begin with a diploid cell that contains replicated chromosomes. Explain the main differences between these two processes and what types of daughter cells produced by each.

Answer 1

Answer & explanation:

The main differences between the processes are that mitosis occurs in somatic cells (diploid cells that give rise to organs and tissues), and meiosis occurs in germ cells (cells that give rise to gametes).

In meiosis, only one cell division occurs, in which two daughter cells are produced. These daughter cells have the same number of chromosomes as the mother cell (46 choromosomes).

Mitosis, in turn, has two cell divisions, and four daughter cells are produced, which have half the amount of chromosomes in the mother cell (23 chromosomes).

Answer 2

Mitosis is the process by which cells duplicate.
Meiosis is a similar process which is just used to make reproductive cells such as eggs or sperm.

In mitosis, the cell DNA arranges into 46 chromosomes, duplicates, and then divides into two new cells.
In meiosis, the same duplication occurrs except four cells are created, each with only 23 chromosomes. (You know how you get half of them from each parent? This is so that the offspring have genetic variation.)

Another thing to notice about meiosis is that the cells are not identical like in mitosis, which simply duplicates them. Furthermore, in males all four sex cells are used as sperm but in females only one of these cells develops into an egg whereas the rest, called polar bodies, are reabsorbed into the body.