Final answer:
Prophase involves the condensing of chromatin into visible X-shaped chromosomes and breakdown of the nuclear envelope, while in telophase, the chromosomes decondense and new nuclear envelopes are formed, with the key distinction in meiosis being the production of haploid and genetically unique cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
During prophase of the original cell, the chromatin coils and condenses to form visible chromosomes. Each chromosome becomes visible as two identical sister chromatids attached at a central region known as the centromere, which gives them an X-shape. The nucleolus disappears, and the nuclear envelope breaks down to allow microtubules to connect to the chromosomes.
In contrast, during telophase, the two new cells begin to form their own separate nuclei. The chromosomes that had arrived at the cell poles begin to decondense back into chromatin, and new nuclear envelopes form around each set of chromosomes. This process occurs in both mitosis and meiosis, but in telophase II of meiosis, the newly formed nuclei are haploid with one copy of each chromosome, and the cells are genetically unique due to the random assortment of paternal and maternal chromosomes and crossover events that occurred earlier in meiosis.