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Distinguish between somatic and reproductive cell division and explain the importance of each.
Somatic or body cells undergo a cell division process composed of two distinct phases called interphase and mitosis. The interphase is important primarily because it prepares the somatic cell before it undergoes the mitotic phase. Here, the cell carries out several life processes and the preparation are further divided into three subphases– G1, S, and G2. After such, the cell is well and ready to undergo the mitotic phase. Once again, the cell undergoes subphases that gradually separates and distributes two sets of chromosomes into two diploid daughter cells. The subphases of mitosis include prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis.
Reproductive or sex cells, on the other hand, go through a division process termed meiosis. In comparison with mitosis, meiosis of reproductive cells produces haploid cells which only contain half the number of chromosomes (23). Cell division in reproductive cells occurs in two successive stages, meiosis I and meiosis II. Basically, meiosis is just similar to mitosis in terms of its subphases and occurrences in each subphase. The only difference is that it occurs twice which is why meiosis I subphases are labeled prophase I, metaphase I, anaphase I, and telophase I while meiosis II has prophase II, metaphase II, anaphase II, and telophase II. This is also the reason why the supposed production of diploid daughter cells become haploid daughter cells.
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What is the significance of interphase?
The interphase is a prerequisite phase for the mitotic phase in somatic cells. This is vital because during this phase, bulk of the preparation of the cell happens like making the cell metabolically active, organelle duplications, DNA replication, and centrosome replication. With the occurrence of interphase prior to mitosis, the cell is well-conditioned and prepared to undergo the formal phases of separation that happens in the mitotic subphases of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.