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Meiosis
Meiosis Is Essential in
Sexual Reproduction
The organism
grows by
mitotic
cell division.
Meiosis Is Essential in
Sexual Reproduction
During gamete
formation,
specialized
diploid cells
called germ
cells divide by
meiosis.
Overview of Meiosis
Meiosis I Meiosis II
Prophase I Prophase II
Metaphase I Metaphase II
Anaphase I Anaphase II
Telophase I Telophase II
Where does meiosis occur?
• Meiosis occurs in the germ
cells of sexually reproducing
organisms.
• Germ cells are diploid (2n),
but they are found only in the
gonads (ovaries and testes)
• A germ cell prepares for
meiosis as it does for mitosis,
by replicating its DNA. (S phase
of Interphase)
Prophase I
• Chromosomes condense
• Spindle fibers form
• Nuclear membrane dissolves
• Synapsis occurs
During synapsis, the homologous
chromosomes find each other and line up
close together, so that the 4 chromatids form a
structure called a tetrad.
Homologous
chromosomes – a
pair of chromosomes,
one from each parent
(maternal and
paternal), that have
the same genes in
the same location but
may have different
alleles
Crossing over occurs in X-shaped regions
called chiasmata (singular, chiasma)
Chromosomes
Crossing Over
During Prophase I,
chromatids from
homologous
chromosomes
swap segments,
creating new allele
combinations.
Metaphase I