Mitosis and Meiosis Comparison Chart Factor Type of cell(s) involved Mitosis Somatic cells Meiosis Gametes Number of divisions in complete process 1 stage of cell division Number of duplications of chromosomes Only makes 1 copy of each chromosome Creates 2 copies of each chromosome Number of cells resulting from one complete cycle (one vs. two divisions) 2 diploid cells with identical genetic information 4 haploid cells with different genetic information Chromosome number of parent cell (haploid/diploid) Diploid Diploid Chromosome number of resulting daughter cells (Haploid/ diploid) Diploid (Number of daughter cells = of the parent cell) Haploid (Daughter cells is half of the parent cell) Does genetic variation happen? (yes/no) - If yes, please explain: the name of the process and in what phase does it occur No. Sister chromatids carry identical copies of the genetic information, so they pass on this information to the receiving cells. Yes. In prophase 1, the intertwined chromatids from different chromosomes break apart and reattach to each other. This is a process called “crossing over”. It mixes and recombines genetic information between nonsister chromatids from pairs resulting in diversity. However, there are rare cases where cells might not receive identical copies of sister chromatids. Then, they will differ genetically but this is rarely the case. 2 stages of cell divisions Another genetic variation is caused by random assortment. This process occurs during metaphase 1 where homologous chromosomes pair up, and when they separate during anaphase 1. During this process, the daughter cells are haploids, because they received only one chromosome from each pair. Then, they are assorted independently. (They can get either chromosome from each pair). This increases variability greatly because there are many possible combinations depending on the number of chromosome pairs. (For diploid organisms, the combination equation is 2 to the power of n). Role of resulting cells (what do the new cells do) The new diploid cells are used for growth and to replace other worn out, lost, or damaged cells. The new haploid daughter cells will go into the process of gametogenesis, where they will turn into male sperm cells or female egg cells. They undergo fertilization to form a zygote. In humans, the baby will have half and half chromosomes from their parents. Function of division process (why does the process need to happen) Mitosis is needed to make genetically identical cells as the parent cell. It is for the development of embryos and to replace cells that are damaged. Meiosis is needed to produce gametes in order to sexually reproduce.