Introduction

Meiotic cell division occurs exclusively in reproductive cells and helps create genetic diversity in the next generation of organisms. It starts with an initial chromosome crossing over (for genetic diversity, called Synapsis) followed by TWO rounds of specialized cell division – termed Meiosis I and Meiosis II. In this section, we will review the sequence of events that occur during meiotic cell division.  For the purposes of comparison, we will also contrast how each event in meiosis differs from the events that occur during mitosis.

The following video explains the process of Meiosis.

Summary

To review, meiotic cell division occurs exclusively in reproductive cells to create genetic diversity and consists of TWO rounds of cell division – termed Meiosis I and Meiosis II. The events that occur in Meiosis I and II result in the generation of (4) haploid gamete cells, each containing one set of chromosomes.

Sources:

“Phases of Meiosis.” Bozeman Science. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/16enC385R0w Licensed under: Standard YouTube License