what are the significances of mitosis?
Answers
Significance of Meiosis and Chromosome Number
Chromosomes are the cell's way of neatly arranging long strands of DNA. Non-sex cells have two sets of chromosomes, one set from each parent. Meiosis makes sex cells with only one set of chromosomes. For example, human cells have 46 chromosomes, with the exception of sperm and eggs, which contain only 23 chromosomes each. When a sperm cell fertilizes an egg, the 23 chromosomes from each sex cell combine to make a zygote, a new cell with 46 chromosomes. The zygote is the first cell in a new individual.
Significance of Meiosis for Diversity
One of the benefits of sexual reproduction is the diversity it produces within a population. That variety is a direct product of meiosis. Every sex cell made from meiosis has a unique combination of chromosomes. This means that no two sperm or egg cells are genetically identical. Every fertilization event produces new combinations of traits. This is why siblings share DNA with parents and each other, but are not identical to one another.
Meiosis makes the cells needed for sexual reproduction to occur, and mitosis replicates non-sex cells needed for growth and development. Together, they provide the cellular basis for healthy growth and sexual reproduction.