Can someone explain simply what meiosis is and what is it used for?

Answer 1

Meiosis is essential for sexual reproduction and therefore occurs in many eukaryotes, including single-celled organisms. A few eukaryotes, notably the Bdelloid rotifers, have lost the ability to carry out meiosis and acquired the ability to reproduce by parthenogenesis. Meiosis does not occur in archaea or prokaryotes, which reproduce by asexual cell division processes.

During meiosis, the genome of a diploid germ cell, which is composed of long segments of DNA called chromosomes, undergoes DNA replication followed by two rounds of division, resulting in haploid cells called gametes. Each gamete contains one complete set of chromosomes, or half of the genetic content of the original cell. These resultant haploid cells can fuse with other haploid cells of the opposite gender or mating type during fertilization to create a new diploid cell, or zygote. Thus, the division mechanism of meiosis is a reciprocal process to the joining of two genomes that occurs at fertilization. Because the chromosomes of each parent undergo genetic recombination during meiosis, each gamete, and thus each zygote, will have a unique genetic blueprint encoded in its DNA. In other words, meiosis is the process that produces genetic variation.

Biochemically, meiosis uses some of the same mechanisms employed during mitosis to accomplish the redistribution of chromosomes. There are several features unique to meiosis, most importantly the pairing and recombination between homologous chromosomes, which enable them to separate from each other.

Answer 2

In biology, meiosis (IPA: /maɪˈəʊsɪs/) is the process that allows one diploid cell to divide in a special way to generate haploid cells in eukaryotes. The word "meiosis" comes from the Greek meioun, meaning "to make smaller," since it results in a reduction in chromosome number.

http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/VL/GG/meiosis.html

Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that occurs in the formation of gametes such as egg and sperm. Although meiosis appears much more complicated than mitosis, it is really just two divisions in sequence, each one of which has strong similarities to mitosis. The illustrations used in the discussion which follows were modified from Campbell, Biology, 1996.

http://taggart.glg.msu.edu/bs110/meiosis.htm

Answer 3

Meiosis is a two-stage type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that results in cells with half the chromosome number of the original cell. It produces the gametes(sex cells/sperm and eggs) which will later be combined to form a new organism. WIth the full number of chromosomes.

Answer 4

Meiosis Meiosis occurs in asexual duplicate,chromosome variety stay comparable i.e in diploid nature Mitosis Mitosis occurs in sexual duplicate ,relief branch occurs and chromosome variety turns right into a million/2 i.e haploid nature.

Answer 5

Meiosis is cell division to produce more cells. Plants along with animals use it for sexual reproduction.