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Anna, a student, drew a model of mitosis and stated that it shows one cell dividing to become 4 genetically different cells.

Sally, another student states the model is incorrect, but can't explain why. Explain why the model Anna drew does not represent mitosis.

User Gkeenley
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Anna's model of mitosis is incorrect as mitosis results in two genetically identical daughter cells, not four genetically different ones. The correct visualization of mitosis involves one round of cell division after chromosomes have replicated, leading to two daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.

Step-by-step explanation:

The model drawn by Anna, which depicts one cell dividing into four genetically different cells, is incorrect as a representation of mitosis. During mitosis, a single cell divides to produce two identical daughter cells, each with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell. In diploid organisms, this results in two cells, each with two sets of chromosomes. Anna's model instead describes the outcome of meiosis, where two rounds of division result in four non-identical daughter cells, each with half the number of chromosomes of the original cell. Therefore, mitosis maintains genetic consistency across cells, whereas meiosis promotes genetic variation.

When modeling chromosomes after the S phase of the cell cycle, each chromosome would be depicted as having duplicated into two sister chromatids. At metaphase of mitosis, these chromosomes line up at the center of the cell. The process ends after cytokinesis with two genetically identical daughter cells, distinguished by having the same number of chromosomes as the original parent cell and each other, thanks to the earlier replication and subsequent equal distribution of genetic material. This is fundamentally different from meiosis, where genetic diversity is introduced, and four genetically distinct daughter cells are produced.

User Kirk Woll
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