Meiosis Vs. Mitosis
In order to understand meiosis, a comparison to mitosis is helpful. The table below shows the differences between meiosis and mitosis.
| Meiosis | Mitosis | |
|---|---|---|
| End result | Normally four cells, each with half the number of chromosomes as the parent | Two cells, having the same number of chromosomes as the parent |
| Function | Sexual reproduction, production of gametes (sex cells) | Cellular reproduction, growth, repair, asexual reproduction |
| Where does it happen? | Animals, fungi, plants, protists | All eukaryotic organisms |
| Steps | Prophase I, Metaphase I, Anaphase I, Telophase I, Prophase II, Metaphase II, Anaphase II, Telophase II | Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase |
| Genetically same as parent? | No | Usually |
| Crossing over happens? | Yes, in Prophase I | Sometimes |
| Pairing of homologous chromosomes? | Yes | No |
| Cytokinesis | Occurs in Telophase I and Telophase II | Occurs in Telophase |
| Centromeres split | Does not occur in Anaphase I, but occurs in Anaphase II | Occurs in Anaphase |
Read more about this topic: Meiome