03.02 Meiosis

Which of the following statements is true of meiosis?

It divides one diploid cell into four haploid cells.

In what stage of meiosis is crossing over most likely to occur?

Prophase I

If an organism's diploid cells contain 8 chromosomes, how many chromosomes do its haploid cells contain?

4

In what phase of meiosis are tetrads separated as homologous chromosomes are pulled to opposite poles of the cell?

Anaphase I

Which of the following statements best describes the major difference between prophase I of meiosis and prophase of mitosis?

In prophase I, tetrads of homologous chromosomes form and crossing over occurs.

Compare the properties of the parent and daughter cells in mitosis and meiosis and explain the reason for any differences.

The daughter cells in mitosis are diploid and are identical to the parent cells. However, the daughter cells and parent cells in Meiosis are not genetically identical. In mitosis there are no chromosomes that cross, while in Meiosis a haploid cell is formed which results in half the number of chromosomes in the parent cell.

Describe at least two events during meiosis that increase the genetic diversity of the daughter cells produced.

The two events would have to be crossing over and random independent assortment. During Prophase I, sister chromatids in each tetrad come together and swap DNA molecules.