Question

What accounts for (1) the genetic similarity between daughter cells and the parent cell following mitosis, and (2) the genetic dissimilarity between daughter cells and the parent cell following meiosis?

Answer 1

Mitosis is the process in which a eukaryotic cell nucleus splits in two, followed by division of the parent cell into two daughter cells. This process ensures that each daughter cell will contain one exact copy of the parent cell DNA. Genetic variation is increased by meiosis. During fertilisation, 1 gamete from each parent combines to form a zygote. Because of recombination and independent assortment in meiosis, each gamete contains a different set of DNA. This produces a unique combination of genes in the resulting zygote.