Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

How meiosis reduces chromosome number by half: crossing over, meiosis I, meiosis II, and genetic variation.

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  • Joan D'silva

    8 years agoPosted 8 years ago. Direct link to Joan D'silva's post “In meosis 2 when did the ...”

    In meosis 2 when did the chromosomes duplicate?

    (12 votes)

    • Aditi Rattan

      8 years agoPosted 8 years ago. Direct link to Aditi Rattan's post “there was no chromosomal ...”

      Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (4)

      Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (5)

      Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (6)

      there was no chromosomal duplication in meiosis II only the centrosome duplicated. If there would have been chromosomal duplication cells would never have been able to produce haploid gametes the cell used in meiosis II are the product of meiosis I

      (52 votes)

  • Salisa Sukitjavanich

    5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Salisa Sukitjavanich's post “is there random orientati...”

    is there random orientation in metaphase 2?

    (12 votes)

  • Mason Lau

    6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to Mason Lau's post “If the starting cell has ...”

    If the starting cell has 46 chromosomes, then how can it produce four cells with 23 chromosomes?

    (6 votes)

    • Jmsmarlowe

      5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Jmsmarlowe's post “Remember that when replic...”

      Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (14)

      Remember that when replicating in interphase, the chromosome number DOES NOT CHANGE

      in interphase before S (replication phase) we have 46 single stranded chromosomes: 23 are from mom and 23 are from dad (they code for the same things meaning chromosome 1 of mom codes for the same thing as chromosome 1 of dad. Likewise chromosome 5 of dad is similar to chromosome 5 of mom)

      after replication how many chromosomes do we have?
      answer: still 46, but what's different?
      the single strand chromosome (1 chromosome) became two stranded yet attached identical sister chromatids (still 1 chromosome)

      it is only when the sister chromatids separate are they each considered separate chromosomes.

      This means that in meoisis II when we split the sister chromatids:
      the parent cell starts with 23 chromosomes (EACH double stranded=two sister chromatids, so there are 46 chromatids. Anaphase II splits the sister chromatids which now separate (23 chromatids go to one pole and 23 chromatids go to other pole). When the chromatids are separated they are now called chromosomes

      so a haploid parent cell of 23 chromosomes (double strand) just created two haploid daughter cells of 23 chromosomes (now single strand).

      The above is also how a 46 chromosome (double strand) cell in mitosis can result in 2 daughter cells each with 46 chromosomes (single strand).

      Even Sal admits how confusing this is, but he explains all this visually in a separate video differentiating the terms chromatid, chromosome, and chromatin.

      (11 votes)

  • mairaj142

    6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to mairaj142's post “Please specify if the num...”

    Please specify if the number of chromosomes becomes haploid in meiosis I or meiosis II? And if does in meiosis I then how? In meiosis I chromatids are not separated then how come chromosome number reduces to half??

    (6 votes)

    • von luger

      6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to von luger's post “The number of chromosomes...”

      Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (18)

      The number of chromosomes becomes haploid in meiosis I, because the actual sister chromatids are not pulled apart by spindle fibers. For example, if a cell was undergoing meiosis, and had a total of 4 chromosomes in it, then 2 of them would go to one daughter cell, and 2 of them would go to the other daughter cell. That makes 2 haploid cells.

      Then, in meiosis II, each of the 2 sister chromatids in the daughter cells would be split apart by spindle fibers, giving each cell 2 chromosomes. As you said, the fact that in meiosis I chromatids are not separated means that the entire chromosome is moved to one cell; if there were 4, then they would be moved to each daughter cell equally. I hope that helps; if you still have trouble please say so!

      (24 votes)

  • Greacus

    7 years agoPosted 7 years ago. Direct link to Greacus's post “When the new nuclear memb...”

    When the new nuclear membrane forms around the chromosomes, how does the cell make sure the centrosomes are outside the nucleus and ALL chromosomes are inside?

    (8 votes)

    • Ivana - Science trainee

      5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Ivana - Science trainee's post “Well, it works based on p...”

      Well, it works based on patterns of nuclear defragmentation. On the places where old fragments of a nucleus are, new form. Also, thanks to cytokinesis, the cell splits exactly half its length.

      (7 votes)

  • datla mayookha reddy

    9 years agoPosted 9 years ago. Direct link to datla mayookha reddy's post “will you please explain m...”

    will you please explain me all the stages of prophase-1 in meiosis

    how can we find the order of stability of covalent compounds by inductive effect

    (1 vote)

    • jackmerf11

      9 years agoPosted 9 years ago. Direct link to jackmerf11's post “1. Chromosomes condense a...”

      Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (25)

      1. Chromosomes condense and hom*ologs loosely pair along their lengths, aligned by gene.
      2. The paired hom*ologs become physically connected along their lengths through a process called synapsis. This forms a synaptonemal complex.
      3.The random rearrangement of corresponding genes occurs between the non sister chromatids (because at this stage each chromosome consists of two sister chromatids).
      4. Synapsis ends, and the hom*ologs move slightly apart, no longer bonded along their lengths like in the synaptonemal complex.
      5. Some of these hom*ologs have one or more chiasmata, an X shaped region where a genetic rearrangement has occurred. This formation occurs because of sister chromatid cohesion, where a gene that has been given to the hom*ologous pair in synapsis is still bonded to the corresponding part on the sister chromatid of its former chromatid.
      6. Centrosomes move to opposite ends of the cell, and the nuclear envelope dissolves.
      7. Microtubules from one centrosome attach to the kinetochore (protein structures at the centromeres) of one chromosome from each of the hom*ologous pairs, while the other centrosome connects to the kinetochore of the other chromosome in each hom*ologous pair, and each hom*ologous pair moves towards the metaphase plate (where they line up before anaphase).

      (14 votes)

  • 😊

    8 years agoPosted 8 years ago. Direct link to 😊's post “why is interphase not inc...”

    why is interphase not included as a stage of cell-division in both mitosis & meiosis?

    (6 votes)

    • Ivana - Science trainee

      5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Ivana - Science trainee's post “Interphase _is_ stage of ...”

      Interphase is stage of the cell cycle, but not a stage of cell division (meisosis).

      Interphase is that gap phase (exactly G0) where cell cycle stops, DNA and organelles grow and synthesize.

      (4 votes)

  • Aizah Ahmed

    3 years agoPosted 3 years ago. Direct link to Aizah Ahmed's post “So meiosis is just to mak...”

    So meiosis is just to make a zygote? What happens after that? Also, why are there different processes of meiosis for sperms and eggs if they only have to join. Someone help, I'm really confused

    (4 votes)

    • TL The Legend

      3 years agoPosted 3 years ago. Direct link to TL The Legend's post “Yes, meiosis's goal is to...”

      Yes, meiosis's goal is to make a zygote. This zygote will (hopefully) turn into an embryo, then a fetus, which eventually becomes a human if everything works out. Meiosis in sperm and eggs is different because, well, sperm and eggs are different. A spermatocyte needs to split into four cells, while an oocyte needs to split into only one because many sperm are needed to fertilize a single egg. Once a sperm reaches the egg, it is only then that they join.

      (6 votes)

  • Mansha Shah

    9 months agoPosted 9 months ago. Direct link to Mansha Shah's post “The male transfers sperm ...”

    The male transfers sperm to ovaries then sperm is spreading in the ovaries then ultimately it becomes offspring. Am I right?

    (4 votes)

    • Anna Nguyen

      9 months agoPosted 9 months ago. Direct link to Anna Nguyen's post “You're almost correct. Ma...”

      You're almost correct. Males transfer sperm to the female and only one of the many sperm ends up fertilizing the egg. Then the fertilized egg becomes a zygote that ultimately grows into a baby. I hope this helps!

      (4 votes)

  • Satyankar Chandra

    5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Satyankar Chandra's post “Is the only point of Meos...”

    Is the only point of Meosis 2 to regulate the amount of genetic material within a haploid cell?

    What I mean by this is that, in parent diploid cell, each chromosome had 1 chromatid however, at the end of Meosis 1, each chromosome in haploid cell had 2 sister chromatids which renders the amount of genetic material same in daughter and parent cell.

    (3 votes)

    • Ivana - Science trainee

      5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Ivana - Science trainee's post “Correct. Meisosi II is re...”

      Correct. Meisosi II is reduction division.

      Why?

      Because, final products of meiosis, gametes are haploid cells.

      Just remember that ova and spermatozoids are haploid and than it all makes sense.

      Why they are haploid?
      Otherwise,
      within each meiotic cycle number of chromosomes would double, produce polyploidy and polyšloid zygote (incompatible with life). To avoid all of this, Meiosis II is a reduction.

      (5 votes)

Meiosis | Cell division | Biology (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

FAQs

What is the division of meiosis? ›

Meiosis is a process where a single cell divides twice to produce four cells containing half the original amount of genetic information. During meiosis one cell divides twice to form four daughter cells. These four daughter cells only have half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell – they are haploid.

Is meiosis on the MCAT? ›

‍Meiosis for the MCAT

Meiosis is the way in which certain cells divide in order to produce sex cells (gametes). There are 4 cells produced from meiosis, and as DNA only replicates once, each cell contains half the amount of genetic information (with n chromosomes) as in a normal body cell.

What is meiosis Khan Academy? ›

To put that another way, meiosis in humans is a division process that takes us from a diploid cell—one with two sets of chromosomes—to haploid cells—ones with a single set of chromosomes. In humans, the haploid cells made in meiosis are sperm and eggs.

Is meiosis hard to learn? ›

Many biology students struggle to learn about the process of meiosis and have particular difficulty understanding the molecular basis of crossing over and the importance of hom*ologous pairing for proper segregation.

How to memorize the difference between mitosis and meiosis? ›

An easy way to remember the difference between Mitosis and Meiosis is Mi'T'osis and Me'I'osis, where the 'T' in 'Mitosis' stands for 'tall,' and hence, growth, whilst the 'I' in 'Meiosis' stands for 'intercourse,' and hence, sexual reproduction.

Why is meiosis in 2 divisions? ›

Because the chromosome number of a species remains the same from one generation to the next, the chromosome number of germ cells must be reduced by half during meiosis. To accomplish this feat, meiosis, unlike mitosis, involves a single round of DNA replication followed by two rounds of cell division (Figure 1).

Is meiosis asexual? ›

Meiosis does not occur during asexual reproduction. Meiosis is the process of producing gametes (eggs and sperm). Mitosis, on the other hand, is simply the process of cell division. This is the process that animals are going through during regeneration.

What is the brief explanation of meiosis? ›

Meiosis is a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in gametes (the sex cells, or egg and sperm). In humans, body (or somatic) cells are diploid, containing two sets of chromosomes (one from each parent).

Is there no math in MCAT? ›

Any math that is on the MCAT is fundamental: just arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry. There is absolutely no calculus on the MCAT. Math-based problems will appear mostly in the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section .

Is meiosis Punnett square? ›

How is meiosis connected to a Punnett square? Meiosis gives you the daughter cells that could possibly become fertilized, as illustrated in the fertilization chart. They form the same offspring that are shown in a Punnett square. The Punnett square is a shortcut for seeing the possible alleles that could form.

Does mitochondria go through meiosis? ›

Previous studies established that mitochondria fragment and rejoin at distinct stages during meiosis and sporulation, suggesting that mitochondrial fission and fusion are required during this process.

What is meiosis of division? ›

Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells. This process is required to produce egg and sperm cells for sexual reproduction.

What are the three rules of meiosis? ›

Possible Answers:
  • Law of dominance; in a heterozygote individual, only the dominant allele will influence the phenotype.
  • Law of independent assortment; inheritance of one gene does not influence inheritance of another gene.
  • Law of segregation; each gamete receives both copies of gene from its parent.

Why is meiosis called division? ›

Meiosis is sometimes called "reduction division" because it reduces the number of chromosomes to half the normal number so that, when fusion of sperm and egg occurs, baby will have the correct number.

What is the mnemonic for meiosis? ›

Mnemonic Explanation: The mnemonic "Leptotene: Little, Zygotene: Zara, Pachytene: Please, Diplotene: Dance, Diakinesis: Daily" is a creative way to remember the subphases of Prophase I in meiosis.

How can I understand meiosis better? ›

How to Understand Music Better - The Steps:
  1. Learn Basic Music Theory & Composition. ...
  2. Train Your Ears & Brain. ...
  3. Learn Critical Listening. ...
  4. Learn Analytical Listening. ...
  5. Learn How to Play an Instrument. ...
  6. Read Books, Blogs & Articles About Music. ...
  7. Watch Videos & Listen to Podcasts About Music. ...
  8. Join in Discussions About Music.

How do you make meiosis fun? ›

One effective game-based approach that you can plan for your next class is a sorting activity. You can provide your students with cards or virtual representations of cells undergoing meiosis and mitosis. The task will be to categorize the cards into two groups based on the characteristics of each process.

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