What is the difference between meiosis II and mitosis?
Biology · Middle School · Wed Jan 13 2021
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Cells divide and reproduce in two ways, mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis results in two identical daughter cells, whereas meiosis results in four sex cells.
The major difference between meiosis II and mitosis is the ploidy of the starting cell.
- Meiosis II begins with two haploid cells, which have half the number of chromosomes as somatic cells. This is because they will develop into gametes.
- Mitosis begins with a diploid cell. It will divide into two sister cells, both of which are also diploid.
The phases of meiosis II are prophase II, metaphase II, anaphase II, and telophase II. These are analogous to the prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase of mitosis.