D2.1.4

• Mitosis is used to produce genetically identical cells which diploid number of chromosomes.
• Cells produced using mitosis have the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
• Cells produced using mitosis have the same genes as the parent cell, which ensures that every cell in a multicellular organism has all the genes that it needs and that they are genetically identical.
• Mitosis allows a successful genome to be inherited without changes by offspring in asexual reproduction.
• Meiosis is used to halve the number of chromosomes form diploid to haploid.
• Cells produced by meiosis have half as many chromosomes as the parent cell (diploid - haploid).
• Pairs of genes in a diploid mother cells are dealt randomly to daughter cells, so there are almost limitless numbers of possible combinations, generating genetic diversity.