Mr. Resh
Biology AP
30 January 2014
Differences between Mitosis and Cell Division
Whereas mitosis is cell division, cell division is not mitosis. Cell division and reproduction can happen in two ways, either by mitosis or meiosis. Thus, each process is a type of cell division. In both processes, which have similar beginnings, the cells must replicate their DNA and create new cells. The DNA first breaks down and reorganizes into chromosomes, both undergoing prophases, metaphases, anaphases, and telophases. This is where the difference lays. In meiosis, chromosome pairs exchange some of the genetic material by “synapsing”, and splitting twice. This results in four daughter cells, each with only one half of the number of chromosomes as the original parent cell. This process is generally used with sex cells and the sexual production of animals. On the other hand, mitosis is slightly different. While both prepare for the split in much the same way, the end results of the splitting deviate slightly. In mitosis, as the nuclear membrane dissolves, the cell’s chromosomes align themselves. During the anaphase, the chromatids separate, doubling the number of chromosomes. This prepares the cell for the next step, the telophase, when the cell actually splits, instead of having half the number of chromosomes in each daughter cell, each daughter cell has a full set of chromosomes. The number of chromosomes is the key difference between mitosis and meiosis. The idea of cell