Here is a summary of the key similarities:

Mitosis and Meiosis both divide the nucleus of a cell.

  • Both occur in eukaryotic cells and organisms.
  • Both occur in phases, including prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
  • Meiosis II is essentially identical to Mitosis, but Meiosis II occurs in each of the two cells previously produced in Meiosis I (the "daughter cells").

Here is a summary of the key differences:

  • Mitosis produces two cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell. Meiosis produces four cells that are genetically distinct from each other and from the parent cell.
  • Mitosis produces exact duplicates to help multicellular organisms grow or replace lost cells. Meiosis produces haploid cells from a diploid cell for sexual reproduction and genetic variation.
  • Mitosis involves only one round of division. Meiosis involves two rounds of division (Meiosis I and II).
  • In Mitosis, chromosomes act individually, and homologous chromosomes do not synapse. In Meiosis, homologous chromosomes synapse, and each homologous pair acts throughout Meiosis I.
  • Mitosis does not feature crossing over. Meiosis I features crossing over.
  • In the metaphase of Mitosis, individual, replicated chromosomes line up midway between poles (without the pairing of homologs). In the metaphase of Meiosis I, homologous pairs of replicated chromosomes line up midway between poles.
  • In the anaphase of Mitosis, sister chromatids separate. In the anaphase of Meiosis I, homologs separate.
  • Mitosis maintains the ploidy. Meiosis cuts the ploidy in half.



 

Source: Forsyth Tech CTL, https://youtu.be/UV0BQNmIFPE
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