Stacy Fournier

Mitosis and Meiosis ~ Take Home Test (essay)

Mrs. Lennon ~ A4

In this essay I will address the following points; what role does mitosis play
in your ability to grow, heal wounds and develop? , What is the goal, overall, of a
cell that undergoes Mitosis? , what is meiosis? What kinds of cells in your body
would go through this kind of division? , How does meiosis, through the two
rounds of division, cut the amount of genetic information in half? And why does
the amount of genetic information have to be cut in half anyway?
I will first explain what role does mitosis play in your ability to grow, heal
wounds and develop. Any living organism is constantly making new cells. A
healthy human produces 25 million new cells every second. Every time an
organism grows in size or repairs worn out or damaged tissue new cells are
made. Mitosis has five stages that cell goes through to form two daughter cells
which are new cells that help us develop new tissue that was ruined or for any
reason. Mitosis is the process that guarantees the continuation of life and genes.
I will next explain the phases of mitosis! The cell cycle starts off with
Interphase; it is the busy part of the cell cycle this is where the cell makes ATP
witch is energy. This stage also makes protein, producing new organelles such
as ribosomes and mitochondria and duplicating there chromosomes. The first
actual phase of mitosis is Prophase, it is the longest phase. Stringy chromatin
coils up into visible chromosomes, the duplicated chromosomes are made up of
two halves. The second dividing stage of mitosis is Metaphase; the
chromosomes become attached to the spindle fibers by there centromeres. Then
the chromosomes get pulled to the “equator” of the spindle. The third dividing
stage of mitosis is Anaphase; during anaphase the centromeres are starting to
split up and the chromatid pairs from each chromosome separate from each
other. The finale dividing stage of mitosis is Telophase; telophase is when many
of the changes that occurred in prophase are reversed as the new cells begin to
get ready for their own independent existence. The goal for a cell that under goes
mitosis, is to be developed into daughter cells.
This next paragraph will explain what meiosis is and what kinds of cells in
your body would go through this kind of division. Meiosis is cell division which
produces gametes containing half the number of chromosomes as a parent’s
body cell. The cells in your body that go through the division of meiosis one and
two are male gametes which are known as sperm and female gametes known as
eggs.
I will explain to you now how meiosis, through the two rounds of division,
cut the amount of genetic information in half. In meiosis one, cells are copied and
moved to separate poles. A cell with two of each kind of chromosome is called a
diploid. In meiosis one, diploids are formed. During meiosis two the cell is not
copied and you only have half going to each pole, and a cell with one of each
kind of chromosomes called a haploid.
In this paragraph I will explain why the amount of genetic information has
to be cut in half. In telophase one of meiosis the spindle is broken down, the
chromosomes uncoil and the cytoplasm divides to yield two new cells. Each cell
has only half the genetic information of the original cell because it has only one
chromosome from each homologous pair. That is why the amount of genetic
information must be cut in half.
That is my understanding of what role does mitosis play in your ability to
grow, heal wounds and develop? , What is the goal, overall, of a cell that
undergoes Mitosis? , what is meiosis? What kinds of cells in your body would go
through this kind of division? , How does meiosis, through the two rounds of
division, cut the amount of genetic information in half? And why does the amount
of genetic information have to be cut in half anyway?

BY:
Stacy Fournier