Answer:
Mitosis involves:
Resulting in two genetically identical
diploid nuclei
A diploid quantity of sister
chromatids align at the spindle
equator during metaphase
Meiosis I entails:
Resulting in two genetically diverse
haploid nuclei
Homologous chromosomes align
at the spindle equator during
metaphase
Homologous chromosomes pair
during prophase
Crossing-over takes place during
synapsis
Meiosis II involves:
Leading to four genetically diverse
haploid nuclei
A haploid amount of homologous
chromosomes align at the spindle
equator during metaphase
Explanation:
Mitosis is a cellular division process that generates two daughter cells identical to the parent cell. In this process, the chromosome count of the parent cell is preserved in the resulting daughter cells, meaning a diploid cell (2n) divides to form two diploid (2n) daughter cells. Sister chromatids (duplicated chromosomes) are involved at various stages of mitosis, i.e., during Metaphase, diploid sister chromatids align along the cell's equator, and during Anaphase, these sister chromatids are separated and moved to opposite poles.
On the contrary, meiosis is a type of cell division that produces daughter cells with half the chromosome number. Since the count is halved, meiosis occurs in two phases: Meiosis I and II.
Meiosis I yields two daughter cells genetically different from each other, with a reduced chromosome number (from diploid (2n) to haploid (n)). In Meiosis I, homologous chromosomes (similar but not identical chromosomes obtained from parents) pair to form a TETRAD during Prophase, allowing chromosomal segments to be exchanged between non-sister chromatids through CROSSING-OVER. This process generates genetic variability among daughter cells in comparison to the parent cell. Homologous chromosomes also align at the cell's equator during Metaphase and subsequently separate during Anaphase.
Meiosis II, on the other hand, divides the two daughter cells from meiosis I into four genetically distinct daughter cells. With the chromosome number previously reduced from diploid (2n) to haploid (n) in Meiosis I when homologous chromosomes split, haploid sister chromatids are then present and involved during the stages of meiosis II, where they align at the equatorial plane during Metaphase and ultimately separate in Anaphase.
