Criteria | Mitosis | Meiosis |
Definition | Type of cell division in which a cell divides to produce two daughter cells carrying an equal number of chromosomes as that of the parent cell. | Type of cell division in which a cell divides to produce four daughter cells carrying half of the total number of chromosomes as that of the parent cell. |
Occurrence | Somatic cells. | Reproductive cells. |
Phases | Single cycle of nuclear division followed by cytoplasmic division. | Two sequential cycles of division, meiosis I and meiosis II. |
Stages in prophase | Prophase of mitosis is one discrete step without involving tetrad formation and crossing over. | Prophase I of meiosis is divided into five sub-steps which are leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, diplotene, and diakinesis. |
Tetrad formation | Absent. | Present. |
Separation of homologous chromosomes | Absent. | Present. |
Crossing over | Absent. | Present. |
Ploidy of daughter cells | Same as parent cell. | Half as that of parent cell. |