Final answer:
The phase with four stages is mitosis, which is composed of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. These stages are sequentially ordered and crucial for the replication and division of a cell into two identical daughter cells. Cytokinesis follows telophase and completes the cell division process.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mitosis is a fundamental process for life which allows a single cell to divide and produce two identical daughter cells. This process involves a series of organized steps that ensure the accurate duplication and distribution of the cell's genetic material to the daughter cells. The phases of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, each featuring unique events that culminate in the replication of a cell.
- Prophase: During this first stage, chromosomes condense and become visible. The mitotic spindle begins to form, and the nuclear envelope breaks down.
- Metaphase: Chromosomes line up along the metaphase plate, guided by the spindle fibers attached to their centromeres.
- Anaphase: Sister chromatids are then pulled apart toward opposite poles of the cell as the spindle fibers shorten.
- Telophase: Chromatids, now individual chromosomes, arrive at the poles, the spindle breaks down, and nuclear envelopes start to re-form around each set of chromosomes.
Following telophase, cytokinesis occurs, dividing the cytoplasm of the parent cell into two daughter cells. Thus, the correct answer to the question is A) Interphase, prophase, metaphase, telophase if we consider interphase as a preparatory phase, or B) G1, S, G2, M if considering the broader cell cycle. However, the stages specifically referred to in the question, 'prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase,' are indeed the four stages of the mitotic phase.