What Is a Simple Explanation of Meiosis for Dummies?
Meiosis is the cell division process that creates sex cells from ordinary chromosome cells. It is a vital part of the sexual reproduction process. The sex cells that are produced by meiosis are unique and also have their own genetic structure. The process of meiosis occurs in plants, animals and some fungi.
During meiosis, the chromosomes are duplicated, which results in the production of four haploid cells. The sex cells only have one set of chromosomes, instead of a full set of 46 chromosomes. When fertilization occurs and sex cells from a male and female are combined, a set of 46 chromosomes is created again. After the 46 chromosomes are combined to form a zygote, mitosis occurs, which duplicates the chromosomes over and over again. Each cell produced in mitosis has 46 chromosomes.
Meiosis is similar to the process of mitosis, but there are differences. The biggest difference is that mitosis is the process used by single-celled organisms to complete reproduction. Meiosis is found in other organisms that require female and male sex cells to reproduce. Mitosis occurs in all organisms, while meiosis only happens in certain organisms. In mitosis, the cells produced are identical, which differs from meiosis-produced cells.
