What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis?

Mitosis and meiosis are both types of cell division.Cells that divide by mitosis produce 2 identical daughter cells - these cells have the same number of chromosomes. These cells are important for growth and repair (because they are exactly the same as the cells they replace).Cells that divide by meiosis produce 4 daughter cells - these cells have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell did. These cells are important for reproduction, otherwise gametes would contain the same number of chromosomes as a parent cell and this would double the number of chromosomes across each generation when fertilisation occurs.

AB
Answered by Abbey B. Biology tutor

3089 Views

See similar Biology GCSE tutors

Related Biology GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Name and briefly describe the function of three organelles possessed by a plant cell. State an organelle that is present in a plant cell but not in an animal cell.


What is the role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in a eukaryotic cell?


Describe how information passes across a synapse


What is the order of Phylogenetic divisions?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning