Biology Report: Significance of Mitosis and Meiosis - Cell Division

This report delves into the fundamental biological processes of cell division, specifically focusing on mitosis and meiosis. It defines each process, explaining the key steps involved. Mitosis, the division of somatic cells, is described as producing identical daughter cells crucial for growth, development, and repair in multicellular organisms. Meiosis, on the other hand, is presented as the process that forms gametes (sex cells), reducing the chromosome number by half and enabling sexual reproduction. The report highlights the significance of each process, including the maintenance of chromosome number, genetic variation, and the potential consequences of irregularities. It provides insights into the importance of independent assortment, crossing over, and the implications of uncontrolled cell growth. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical roles of mitosis and meiosis in ensuring the continuity of life and genetic diversity.

Running head: CELL DIVISION
CELL DIVISION
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1CELL DIVISION
MEIOSIS:
Meiosis can be explained as the procedure by which a parent cell divides two times
forming four daughter cells. These daughter cells comprise of half the original amount of genetic
information. These are therefore called haploid cells. Gametes are formed in this process (Wang
and Copenhaver 2018)
Significances:
 It is responsible for the production of the sex cells that aid in sexual reproduction
 It helps by activating the genetic information required for the formation of gametes as
well as deactivation of the sporophytic information (Mieulet et al. 2016).
 It helps in maintaining the constant number of chromosomes by halving the
chromosomes. Experts are of the opinion that this step is significant as there are doubling
of chromosomes after fertilization.
 It has been found that as the process includes independent assortment of paternal as well
as maternal chromosomes, there results in successful reshuffling of the chromosomes and
the traits
 Irregularities during meiotic cell division results in mutations that are beneficial and are
carried by natural selection((Bury, Coelho and Glover 2016)
 Meiosis results in crossing over and this helps in production of a new combination of
variations and traits

2CELL DIVISION
Source: (Mieulet et al. 2016)

3CELL DIVISION
Source:
(Bury,
Coelho and
Glover
2016)
MITOSIS:
It can
be defined
as the
spindle
using
nuclear
division
that forms
two
identical
daughter
nuclei

4CELL DIVISION
from parent nuclei. They are called somatic cell division as they take part in somatic cell
division.
Significance:
 Identical daughter cells are produced from this equational cell division. They have same
amount as well as same amount of genetic constitution like that of their parents (Prosser
and Pelletier 2017)
 This cell division helps in the growth as well as development of multi-cellular organisms
from single cell zygote.
 Daughter cells have same number of chromosomes and so they retain same character like
that of their parent cells
 Also responsible for maintenance of proper size of the cell (Nelson 2016)
 It contributes in restoration of the wear and tear in different body tissues along with the
replacement of the damaged and lost parts, healing of the wounds and regeneration of
detached parts
 It causes multiplication in unicellular organisms
 Experts are of the opinion that of mitosis gets unchecked, it will contribute in
uncontrolled cell growth and this can lead to cancer of tumor.

5CELL DIVISION
‘ Source: Nelson 2016

6CELL DIVISION
References:
Bury, L., Coelho, P.A. and Glover, D.M., 2016. From meiosis to mitosis: the astonishing
flexibility of cell division mechanisms in early mammalian development. In Current topics in
developmental biology (Vol. 120, pp. 125-171). Academic Press.
Mieulet, D., Jolivet, S., Rivard, M., Cromer, L., Vernet, A., Mayonove, P., Pereira, L., Droc, G.,
Courtois, B., Guiderdoni, E. and Mercier, R., 2016. Turning rice meiosis into mitosis. Cell
research, 26(11), pp.1242-1254.
Nelson, C.R., 2016. Chromosome Dynamics in Meiosis and Mitosis (Doctoral dissertation, UC
Santa Cruz).
Prosser, S.L. and Pelletier, L., 2017. Mitotic spindle assembly in animal cells: a fine balancing
act. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 18(3), p.187.
Wang, Y. and Copenhaver, G.P., 2018. Meiotic recombination: mixing it up in plants. Annual
review of plant biology, 69, pp.577-609.