2–Meiosis

• Meiosis

  
• Before meiosis

  • Before meiosis, the parent cell contains homologous pairs of chromosomes
  • One chromosome in each pair is from the mother, one is from the father
• Meiosis

  1. Cell grows

  2. DNA is replicated to form 2 identical copies of each chromosome

  3. 1st division: one chromosome from each homologous pair is pulled to each end of the cell

  4. Cytoplasm and cell membrane divide to form two new cells, each containing one set of chromosomes

  5. 2nd division: one copy of each chromosome is pulled to each end of the cell

  6. Cytoplasm and cell membrane divide again to form four genetically different gametes, each containing half of the number of chromosomes from the parent cell