Mitosis vs Meiosis: A Visual Explainer
A side-by-side flowchart tracing both division pathways from a single diploid parent cell through to their very different outcomes — built to untangle the most commonly confused diagram in cell biology for Prelims.
📌 Revision Pointers
Mitosis: single division, 4 stages, ends in 2 diploid (2n) daughter cells identical to the parent
Meiosis: two divisions — Meiosis I (reductional) and Meiosis II (equational) — separated by Interkinesis, ending in 4 haploid (n) gametes
Crossing over at Prophase I is the key source of genetic variation and never occurs in mitosis
One diagram, two pathways: Mitosis (Prophase → Metaphase → Anaphase → Telophase) yields 2 identical diploid cells, while Meiosis I + Meiosis II yields 4 genetically variable haploid gametes.
💭 Conclusion
A frequent Prelims trap swaps "2 vs 4 cells" or "diploid vs haploid" between the two processes — anchor to the diagram's OUTCOME boxes to never miss this again.