Dathan Voyles 6/14/2023 ANTH 300 Professor Doonan Dropbox #2: Mitosis vs Meiosis Mitosis and Meiosis differ, firstly, on how each process is functioning. Meiosis is the two-step division that occurs to produce gametes. Mitosis is the single-step division that occurs in somatic cells to repair and grow tissues. In Meiosis, after DNA is replicated, the parent cell (diploid with two chromosome sets) separates into two daughter cells (haploid with one chromosome set). After this initial phase of division, the two daughter cells separate sister chromatids and divide into four distinct daughter cells, each with a single set of chromosomes. These are unique gametes. In Mitosis, after DNA replication, the diploid parent cell separates sister chromatids with spindle fibers. This allows copies of the cell to exist on either side of the membrane. Then, the membrane dissolves, and pinches inward from the middle of the membrane, and the cell divides. The resulting somatic cell is a copy of the DNA present in the previous cell. This is another major difference between the two division processes, Meiosis creates unique cells, while mitosis is focused on replicating the same cell it started with. Additionally, meiosis is a two-step division process, creating haploid cells, and mitosis is a single-step division process, creating diploid cells.
