Name: RICHELLE PAMUGAS MASING Date submitted: August 11, 2021

Exercise 2
Mitosis and Meiosis
I. Draw the following phases of mitosis and label the different parts. Use references to guide
you in your illustrations. Use only 4 chromosomes for the illustrations.
Animal Mitosis and Plant Mitosis

Questions:
1. What plant and animal specimens are typically used in preparing slides that displays mitosis?
Give the most common and typical example for each type of specimen (only one example). How
are these slides prepared? Include the common stains and other chemicals used for such
preparation.
 The blastula of a whitefish. The whitefish embryo is a good place to look at mitosis
because these cells are rapidly dividing as the fish embryo is growing.
  Longitudinal sections of the root of Allium, will be used to examine the cells in the root
meristem, the growing region of the root.
 Whole mounts of whitefish blastula will illustrate reproductive cells in animals. These
undifferentiated cells undergo mitosis at a regular interval as the embryo increases in
number of cells and complexity.
 You will make observational drawings and be prepared to take a practical quiz.

2. Differentiate plant and animal mitosis by completing the table below.

Characteristics Animal Plant

a. Centrioles (present/absent)
b. Asters (present/absent)
c. Shape of spindle apparatus The spindle apparatus
during anaphase
Centrioles are present in
(1) animal cells and (2)
the basal region of cilia
and flagella in animals
and lower plants (e.g.,
Chlamydomonas). In
cilia and flagella
centrioles are called
'basal bodies' but the
two can be considered
inter-convertible.
Centrioles are absent
from the cells of higher
plants.
An aster is a cellular
structure shaped like a
star, consisting of a
centrosome and its
associated microtubules
during the early stages
of mitosis in an animal
cell. Asters do not form
during mitosis in
plants. ... This allows
the cell to divide
properly with each
daughter cell containing
full replicas of
chromosomes.
is vaguely ellipsoid in
cross section and tapers
at the ends. In the wide
middle portion, known
as the spindle midzone,
antiparallel
microtubules are
bundled by kinesins. At
the pointed ends, known
Centrioles are absent from
the cells of higher
plants. ... In higher plants
mitosis takes place
perfectly satisfactorily
with microtubules
forming spindle fibers but
without the help of
centrioles. The function of
centrioles therefore
remains something of a
mystery.
Asters do not form during
mitosis in plants. Astral
rays, composed of
microtubules, radiate
from the centrosphere and
look like a cloud. Astral
rays are one variant of
microtubule which comes
out of the centrosome;
others include kinetochore
microtubules and polar
microtubules.
The spindle apparatus
is vaguely ellipsoid in
cross section and tapers at
the ends. In the wide
middle portion, known as
the spindle midzone,
antiparallel microtubules
are bundled by
kinesins. ... In fungi,
spindles form between

d. Mechanism of cytokinesis
3. What is the significance of mitosis?
 It helps in maintaining the same number of chromosomes in daughter cells after division.
It is responsible for growth and development of multicellular organisms. It helps in
repairing of damaged tissues.
as spindle poles, spindle pole bodies
microtubules are embedded in the nuclear
nucleated by the envelope, which does not
centrosomes in most break down during
animal cells. mitosis.
During cytokinesis in Cytokinesis occurs by a
animal cells, a ring of special mechanism in
actin filaments forms at higher-plant cells—in
the metaphase plate. The which the cytoplasm is
ring contracts, forming a partitioned by the
cleavage furrow, which construction of a new cell
divides the cell in two. wall, the cell plate, inside
In plant cells, Golgi the cell. The position of
vesicles coalesce at the the cell plate is
former metaphase plate, determined by the
forming a phragmoplast. position of a preprophase
band of microtubules and
actin filaments.

II. Draw the following phases of meiosis and label the different parts. Use references to guide
you in your illustrations. Use only 4 chromosomes for the illustrations.
Questions:
1. How does the first meiotic division differ from mitosis? The second meiotic division from
mitosis?
 There are two major differences between mitosis and meiosis. First, meiosis involves not
one, but two cell divisions. Second, meiosis leads to the production of germ cells, which
are cells that give rise to gametes. Germ cells are different from somatic cells in a critical
way.
2. How does spermatogenesis differ from oogenesis?
 The production of sperms from spermatogonia is known as spermatogenesis. Occurs in
testes. The production of eggs from oogonia is known as oogenesis. Occurs inside the
ovary.
3. If cell division during gametogenesis were non- meiotic, what would be its consequence to future
generations of diploid organisms?
 Gametes are made via meiosis which produces cells with n=23 instead of diploid cells. If
gametes were produced instead by mitosis each gamete would be diploid not haploid.
This means that future diploid organisms in the following generation could potentially
have too many chromosomes, as there will be gametes with improper amounts of
chromosomes.