Meiosis

Meiosis is a type of cell division used by multicellular organisms in the formation of reproductive
cells (gametes), cell division such as sperm cells, egg cells, or spores. Meiosis is similar to mitosis in
several ways. One meiotic process is also divided into the same four basic steps: prophase, metaphase,
anaphase, and telophase. Like mitosis, karyokinesis is followed by cytokinesis. However, meiosis is also
different from mitosis in some very important ways.

• Meiosis results in the production of daughter cells containing half the number of chromosomes of the
parent cell. The resulting daughter cell with half the number of chromosomes is called a haploid cell.

• The daughter cells that are produced after meiosis are not alike because of the manner the
chromosomes divide.

• There are four daughter cells produced after one meiotic process because the cell divides twice in
meiosis.

Meiosis is divided into two successive cell divisions. The first part called meiosis I halves the
number of chromosomes from diploid to haploid number. This stage of meiosis is also called reductional
division. The second part, meiosis II is very similar to mitosis, thus called equational division. Both
meiosis I and meiosis II are subdivided into four stages:

The stages of meiosis:

Meiosis I Meiosis II

Prophase I Prophase II

Metaphase I Metaphase II

Anaphase I Anaphase II

Telophase I Telophase II

Meiosis I

Prophase I

• Chromosomes start to coil and shorten.

• The nuclear envelop disintegrates.

• Homologous chromosomes pair by a process called synapsis.

• Exchange of genetic material (crossing over) may occur between homologous chromosomes when the
chromatids are broken.
Metaphase I

• The paired homologous chromosomes align at the metaphase plate.

• The chromosomes in pair are attached to spindle fibers.

Anaphase I

• Homologous chromosomes separate.

• The chromosomes move toward opposite poles of the cell by opposite poles.

Telophase I

• Chromosomes reach opposite poles.

• In most organisms, the nuclear membrane forms. This is followed by cytokinesis.

Meiosis II

Prophase II

• The nuclear membrane disintegrates.

• New spindle fibers are formed around the chromosomes second.

Metaphase II

• The chromosomes align at the metaphase plate and are attached to their centromeres to the spindle
fibers.

Anaphase II

• Each chromosome is divided into two sister chromatids.

• The 'chromatids (now called chromosomes) move to opposite poles.

Telophase II

• Nuclear membrane is formed around each set of chromosomes.

• Spindle fibers disintegrate.

• The cell undergoes cytokinesis.

Meiosis is the main event involved in the process of gamete formation called gametogenesis.
Gamete formation in males is called spermatogenesis while gamete formation in females is called
oogenesis. The gametes produced are the sperm cells in spermatogenesis and the egg cells or ova
(singular: ovum) in oogenesis. Both spermatogenesis and oogenesis involve the same steps of meiosis,
thus, the resulting daughter cells are haploid cells. The two processes differ, however, in the number of
gametes produced because four functional sperm cells are produced in spermatogenesis while only one
functional ovum is produced in oogenesis. Three polar bodies are produced in oogenesis.

The sperm cells and egg cells produced after gametogenesis are haploid cells. This number of
chromosomes, however, becomes a diploid during the process of fertilization, when a sperm cell fuses
with an egg cell (haploid + haploid = diploid) as shown in figure 15-9. Thus, in organisms that undergo
sexual reproduction, the diploid number of chromosomes (46 in humans) is restored during zygote
formation (fertilized egg).
 The process of meiosis is an important event because it produces genetic variations among sexually
reproducing organisms. Genetic variations are the reasons why no two individuals are identical. Because
of these genetic variations, every individual is unique when compared to others. Three mechanisms
contribute to this genetic variation: independent assortment, crossing-over, and random fertilization.
Independent assortment takes place during the alignment of the homologous chromosomes during
metaphase I. This alignment is a random process such that the number of paternal and maternal
chromosomes that moves toward the opposite poles during anaphase I is dependent on how the
homologous chromosomes aligned themselves at the metaphase plate. In humans with 23 homologous
chromosomes, independent assortment could result in about eight million different gamete
combinations.