To understand the difference between meiosis 2 and mitosis it is important to understand what the process of meiosis and mitosis is. In both cases a cell division process occurs. In meiosis the division occurs within two phases, meiosis 1 and meiosis 2. In mitosis there is only one phase of the process. The process of meiosis 2 and mitosis are very similar but there are also some very clear differences between the two.
1. Meiosis 2 is the second part of a cell division process that occurs within sperm cells and egg cells during reproduction. Mitosis is a cell division process that occurs within other cells of the body besides the reproduction cells.
2. Meiosis 2 does not create identical cells. Mitosis produces duplicates of the original cell.
3. In meiosis 2 interphase does not take place. Interphase is the process of DNA replication. In meiosis this process occurs during meiosis 1 but not in meiosis 2. In mitosis interphase happens just prior to each cell division.
4. In meiosis 2 cells can divide twice. During mitosis cells can divide only one time.
5. The process of meiosis 2 can take a long time, possibly even days. The process of mitosis is considerably shorter, lasting only a few hours at most.
6. Meiosis 2 is a very complicated process with many different aspects to it. In comparison the process of mitosis is much more simple and straight forward.
7. During meiosis, two cell divisions occur but the chromosomes only divide one time. During mitosis only one cell division occurs and the chromosomes also divide once.
8. In meiosis 2 there is a synapses of the chromosomes. During mitosis there is no synapses.
9. The chromatids inside a chromosome exchange segments while in the crossing over portion of the cell division in meiosis 2. During mitosis these chromatids do not exchange any segments.
10. During meiosis 2 the arms of the chromatids are kept separate. During mitosis the arms of the chromatids are kept close together.
11. Meiosis 2 involves the pairing of chromosomes during reproduction. In mitosis there is no such pairing of chromosomes.
12. Meiosis 2 contains a plate of paired chromosome that are further paired together. In mitosis there is just simple chromosome pairs
13. Meiosis 2 involves the sex cells only. Mitosis helps with repairing and healing in cells in other parts of the body.
14. During meiosis 2 there is no duplication of cells that occurs. During mitosis there is a multiplication of cells present.
15. In meiosis 2 the nucleoli does not reappear. In mitosis the nucleoli does reappear.
These are just some of the examples of the differences between meiosis 2 and mitosis in the process of cell division. The most significant difference to remember between these two important processes is that meiosis involves only the cells of sexual reproduction while mitosis is a process that occurs in the cells of the rest of the body.