Comparison of mitosis and meiosis is a common task for almost all biology classes. Perhaps the reason for such an activity is to better understand these processed and to be able to tell them apart. Not only the names of processes are similar but the processes themselves are also very much alike. But there are also differences which we will discuss below. So let’s begin and get rid of confusion once and for all.

Mitosis is a process when a cell duplicates itself, therefore creates two identical cells with full number of chromosomes. Meiosis, on the other hand is also the cell division process, but of a different type. It is the process when a cell that has the right number of chromosomes, divides in four cells and gives rise to four sex cells, each having only half the number of parent cell chromosomes. When mated together, male and female cells form a unique genetic offspring of the same species. Reproduction by mitosis is used by single celled organisms. It is also widely used for organic growth of tissues, mibranes and fibers. Our body is a great example of how mitosis is used to create more body cells, so that our body can maintain healing process and simply don’t run out of cells. Meiosis is used for sexual reproduction of organisms. Mitosis and meiosis are present in all life forms. Simply speaking, all living organisms show some form of these two processes for reproduction and growth.

Mitosis has four stages and Meiosis has eight stages because each stage is repeated twice. During each stage of these two processes the cell goes through many changes but have almost identical events that mark each stage.

In mitosis the first stage is called prophase and in meiosis I or meiosis II it is called prophase I or prophase II. During this phase the chromosomes start to come together and condense and the nucleus is getting ready to divide. But there are also some differences. During prophase I, homologous chromosomes gather together. Each chromosome has a chromosome that is usually the same shape and size, and has the same number of chromosomes. These pairs have one set of chromosomes from the father individual and the other from the mother. During prophase I, these chromosomes exchange genetic material. Nothing like that happens in mitosis, because there are no sex cells involved.

Mitotic metaphase and also metaphase II prepare chromosomes to be pulled apart. Spindles get attached to each side of centromeres that hold the together sister chromatids. In metaphase I, however, the spindles are attached to different chromosomes from opposite cell sides. This set up plays an essential role in the next stage.

This next stage is called anaphase, and this is when physical splitting takes place. In both, mitotic anaphase and anaphase II, the sister chromosomes are separated and are being moved in opposite directions. Mitotic anaphase divides sister chromatids that are identical, so results in identical genetic in each cell that was created by the process. In anaphase I sister chromatids, most of the time, are not identical because they go through crossing in prophase I. Sister chromatids stay together in anaphase I and homologues pairs of chromosomes are moved in opposite directions after they’ve been pulled apart.

And finally, the last stage is telophase. Most of what happened during prophase will be reversed in mitotic telophase and telophase II. During this stage, mitotic telophase goes into cytokinesis, which results in two diploid cells that are identical. Telophase II, on the other hand, has already gone through one division, so after it goes into cytokinesis it will result in four haploid cells.