Which meiosis stages is functionally the most similar to mitosis?

Stages of Meiosis II

Explanation:

Meiosis is a type of cell division that results in the four gamete cells, with each of the cells reduced by half of the number of chromosomes of the parent cell.

Mitosis is another type of cell division that results in two identical daughter cells, with each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.

Meiosis is divided into meiosis I and meiosis II. Meiosis I is completely distinct from mitosis because every change that distinguishes meiosis from mitosis occurs in meiosis I. Meiosis II is similar to mitosis in its order of activities. Some of them include:

- Prophase II: This involves condensation of chromosomes and formation of new spindle fibres. The similarity in this stage is that the breaking and rejoining of the arm of a chromatid, a process called crossing-over, does not occur unlike in Meiosis I.

- Anaphase II: sister chromatids (replicated pair of chromosome joined by a centromere) separates. This is similar to what occurs in mitosis unlike Meiosis II, where homologous pairs of chromosomes are pulled apart by spindle fibres moving two sister chromatids to each pole.

-Cytokinesis: After the cytokinesis of meiosis II, each daughter cell has the same number of chromosome as the parent cell that divided e.g. a parent cell with n gives rise to two n cells. This is similar to the cytokinesis of mitosis (equal division) unlike Meiosis I, where the number of chromosomes of the daughter cell has been reduced by half (reduction division) e.g a parent cell with 2n gives rise to two cells with n each.