NAME: OLEMOH OLUWAYEMISI OMOBOLANLE

MATRIC NO: 170809029

DEPARTMENT: ZOOLOGY
COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO ECOTOXICOLOGY
COURSE CODE: ZLY315
DATE: 27TH February, 2021.
1. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MITOSIS AND
MEIOSIS
a. Mitosis replaces body cells with identical copies,
while meiosis creates generally different sex cells
that will be used to create an entirely new organism.
b. In mitosis there is only one cell division but in
meiosis there are 2 cell divisions.
c. Mitosis occurs in all organisms except viruses but
meiosis occurs in animal, fungi, and palnts.
d. Mitosis creates somatic cells, meiosis creates germ
cells
e. Prophase is short in mitosis, prophase 1 is long in
meiosis
f. No recombination or crossing over in prophase for
mitosis, recombination occurs in prophase 1 in
meiosis
g. In mitosis individual chromosomes line up on the
cells equator in metaphase, in metaphase 1 paired
chromosomes line up in meiosis
h. In mitosis(anaphase) sister chromatids move to
opposite ends of the cell, in meiosis in anaphase 1
they move together to the same pole and are
separated in anaphase2
i. In mitosis, daughter cells are genetically identical, in
meiosis daughter cells are genetically different.
 2. EXPLAIN MITOTIC PROCESS OF AN IDEAL
CELL CONTAINING 2 CHROMOSOMES
In a mitotic process for a cell cotnining 2 chromosomes
there are 5 stages, the interphase, prophase, metaphase,
anaphase and telophase.
In the interphase there is chromosome replication, the
chromosomes enlongate and divide to form two sister
chromatids. In the prophase,during this stage the
chromosomes become visible as threads because they
condense more. This is followed by progressing coiling
and folding. Each prophase chromosome now consists
of two adjacent chromosome threads called chromatids.
The nucleolus breaks down and disappears. Electron
microscopic studies have shown that the component
parts of the nucleolus disperse throughout the nucleus
during this stage. At the end of prophase, the nuclear
envelope breaks down into fragments. This allows the
chromosomes to spread over the greater part of the cell
and gives them a better chance to separate as
chromatids during poleward movement.
At metaphase the chromosomes are at their highest
level of coiling and therefore appear to be shorter and
thicker than in any other stage. The chromosomes move
to the equator of the cell. With the attachment of the
spindle fibres and the completion of the spindle itself,
the chromosomes move into position in the equatorial
plane of the spindle called Metaphase Plate. Alignment
of the chromosomes on this plate marks the end of
metaphase. For the anaphase, This is a stage of active
and rapid movement and is the shortest of all mitotic
stages. During this stage, the sister chromatid separate
and move towards the opposite poles on the spindle. At
the end of anaphase, the separated sister chromatids
have been pulled to opposite poles of the cell. At that
time the nuclear envelope reforms around the two
daughter nuclei, the nucleoli form at the distinct site of
the nuclear organiser chromosomes, and the
chromosomes fuse into an indistinguishable mass of
chromatin.

3. BRIELY EXPLAIN THE PHASES OF A

TYPICAL EUKARYOTIC CELL CYCLE.
THE G0 PHASE: This phase is also known as the
‘resting phase’. In this phase the cell is described as
being quiescent, as it is neither growing nor
dividing but metabolically active (although lesser
proteins are synthesised as compare to other
phases). Most cells of the internal organs are in the
G0phase.IN theG1 (gap 1) Phase,This is also
known as the growth phase. It is the most variable
phase of the cell cycle in terms of length, although
some variations also occur in the S & G2phases.
The length of G1 phase ranges from being non-
existent (as observed in sex and embryonic cells) to
being as long as 11hours for a typical cell cycle of
24 hours (a typical cultured human cell). Some
cells have short G1 phases, example, the epithelial
cells, in which case their generation tine (time it
takes to complete a cycle) would also be short. In
the G1 phase, the cell progressively grows in size
and is metabolically active with profound protein
synthesis occurring.
The gap one phase is the interval between the S and M
phases. S Phase: The S phase is also known as the
synthesis phase. The cell in this phase is in a low
metabolic state and the major activity of the cell centers
around the DNA/Genome duplication. The duplication
of the DNA is necessary for the distribution of the
complete of the DNA to the daughter cells ensuring that
the daughter cells have genes exactly similar to the
parent cells. 99% of cell that enter into the S phase
eventually divide, i.e. go through mitosis. This is
because cells in the S phase are unstable due to their
abnormal DNA constitution. The progression the
G1phase to the S phase is a major checkpoint in cell
cycle control/regulation.
G2 (Gap 2) Phase In this phase, cellular growth
continues as in G1. The proteins required for the next
phase (M phase) are synthesised. The activities in this
phase can be grouped into 3: maturation -spindle
forming proteins are assembled, nuclear membrane
disappear repair -damages in the DNA are repaired
packaging -DNA molecules are packaged into the
chromosome structure for easy transfer or
transportation.
M Phase: This is also called Mitosis phase. Cell
division through the distribution and transfer of the
earlier duplicated chromosomes into daughter cells
occurs in this phase. It is usually the shortest and last
for about an hour for a typical 24 hours cycle. M phase
is usually followed by cytokinesis usually after the
movement of the divided chromosomes to the opposite
poles by the spindle fibre. Cytokinesis results in the cell
undergoing cell cycle to be divided into two daughter
cells; it involves the division of the cytoplasm. In some
cycles the M phase is not followed by cytokinesis
resulting in the attachment of the repeatedly formed
daughter cellsNot all cells that emerge from the M
phase go through to complete the cycle; some cells
never go through to the G1phase.