Meiosis vs. Mitosis

Mitosis and meiosis primarily differ from each other with respect to the number of steps involved, genetic recombination events, and final chromosome and daughter cell numbers. 

Most eukaryotic cells divide by mitosis, an equational division, where each diploid parent cell produces two identical diploid daughter cells.

However, each diploid germ cell divides into four genetically distinct haploid daughter cells through meiosis, a reductional division.

Mitosis is a four-stage process – prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Meiosis goes through these four stages twice without an intermediate DNA synthesis phase.  

The prophase stage of mitosis is shorter and does not involve the pairing of homologous chromosomes or any recombination. Therefore, all the daughter cells are genetically identical.

In meiosis, prophase I is the longest phase consisting of five substages. In prophase I, two homologous chromosomes pair to form a synaptonemal complex and subsequently recombine to produce four genetically diverse chromatids.

During mitotic metaphase, the individual chromosomes assemble along the equator, whereas during metaphase I of meiosis, pairs of homologous chromosomes align on t