Mitosis and meiosis are the two eukaryotic nuclear-division mechanisms distinguished by their ploidy outcome: mitosis is a cyclic division that yields two genetically identical diploid (2n) daughter cells from a diploid parent, whereas meiosis is a terminal, two-stage division that reduces a diploid precursor to four genetically non-identical haploid (n) cells. The reduction occurs in Meiosis I, where homologous pairs are separated and independently assorted, while Meiosis II is mechanistically analogous to mitosis but operates on haploid cells. The concept belongs to cellular biology and genetics, linking the cell cycle to sexual reproduction by explaining how somatic cells propagate the diploid genome while germ cells generate the gametes whose fusion at fertilization restores diploidy.
Mitosis and meiosis are the two eukaryotic nuclear-division mechanisms distinguished by their ploidy outcome: mitosis is a cyclic division that yields two genetically identical diploid (2n) daughter …