Mitosis, Meiosis, Reproduction

(A) Basics about cellular and nuclear division- why cells

divide
• Terminology
• Karyotype and ploidy of a cell
(B) Brief intro to Cell Cycle
(C) Steps of Mitosis
(D) Steps of Meiosis
(E) Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis
in the context of genetic variation
(F) Trade-offs of asexual and sexual reproduction
 Why don’t the baby rabbits have twice the
number of chromosomes as their parents?

Meiosis: A division in which the amount of

chromosomes is reduced (1/2 amount)

In the life cycle of Animals, meiosis makes

sperm and eggs (gametes)

Production of cells that are genetically

distinct from original cell

Fertilization restores the ploidy to 2 (Diploid)

Eukaryotes & cell division
Meiosis: Make cells with half the total number of chromosomes as the starting cell (= Reduction Division)

such as:
B. Spores (as in the plant and C. New individuals as in some
A. Gametes (as in the animal life cycle)
fungal life cycles) unicellular eukaryotes
Meiosis – divided into Meiosis I and Meiosis II

Telophase 1
& Cytokinesis
Meiosis I Metaphase 1 Anaphase 1

Prophase I
Homologous pairs of sister
chromatids joined as tetrads
(tetra = 4)
Later “crossing over” occurs
– parts of chromosomes
exchanged
 How does meiosis increase genetic diversity?
PRIOR TO MEIOSIS MEIOSIS I
Chromosomes replicate, Homologous chromosomes separate.
forming sister chromatids.
Tetrad (4 chromatids from
homologous chromosomes)
Nuclear Chromatin Non-sister
envelope chromatids Spindle apparatus

1. Interphase: 2. Early Prophase I:
Chromosomes replicate Chromosomes condense,
in parent cell, in nuclear envelope breaks up,
uncondensed state. spindle apparatus forms.
Synapsis of homologous
chromosomes.
Chiasma
3. Late Prophase I:
Crossing over of
non-sister chromatids
(often multiple cross-
overs between the
same chromatids).

Homologous Chromosomes come together via Synapsis

Chiasma: position where non-sister chromatids are still linked to one another (1) Crossing over
Crossing over mixes alleles from parental
homologs = Recombination

Bottom line: after crossing over, none of the chromatids resemble the
parental version or each other
 How does meiosis increase genetic diversity?
Homologous chromosomes separate.

4. Metaphase I: 5. Anaphase I:
Tetrads migrate to Homologs separate 6. Telophase I and Possible arrangements:
metaphase plate. and begin moving to Cytokinesis:
n
2
opposite sides of cell. Chromosomes move to
opposite sides of cell,
then cell divides.

(2) Homologs line up randomly with respect to side of metaphase plate. n = number of
chromosome types
Why would this increase genetic diversity?
Tetrad: Replicated homologous chromosomes joined together
Meiosis – divided into Meiosis I and Meiosis II

Meiosis II

Prophase II Metaphase II Anaphase Telophase II

spindle chromosomes II
Cell divides
forms line up on sister
metaphase chromatids Daughter cells
plate separate only have 1 of
copy of each
chromosome
Mitosis, Meiosis, Reproduction
(A) Basics about cellular and nuclear division- why cells
divide
• Terminology
• Karyotype and ploidy of a cell
(B) Brief intro to Cell Cycle
(C) Steps of Mitosis
(D) Steps of Meiosis
(E) Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis
in the context of genetic variation
(F) Trade-offs of asexual and sexual reproduction
 Paradox of Sex John Maynard Smith

Asexual Sexual

1st Generation
2nd Generation

3rd Generation

Two-fold cost of males

(1) Purifying Selection Hypothesis
If a gene is damaged (deleterious allele) it will be inherited by all of
the offspring of an asexually reproducing individual

While on average half of the offspring of a sexually reproducing

individual will not have it

Purifying Selection should over time steadily reduce the numerical

advantage of asexual reproduction.

Shown in research on Daphnia pulex

species
(a.k.a. water fleas)
(2) Changing environment hypothesis
(e.g. Parasite)
• Being genetically identical is fine if your environment is relatively
constant.
• If environmental conditions change parents may be poorly adapted
• Temperature
• Moisture
• Predation/parasites
• Competitors/food resource
• But the genetically different offspring may have acquired alleles in
different combinations that give them an advantage