This guide is designed to provide you with an overview of the important
processes involved in the reproduction of cells. Cellular reproduction is a
process by which cells duplicate their contents and then divide to yield two
cells with similar, if not duplicate, contents. Understanding this process is
helpful in understanding the basis for human reproduction as well as the basis
for the generation of life in other classes of organisms. Cell reproduction
does not always result in new independent cells. It is also essential to growth
and development as well as in the day-to-day maintenance of many human cells.
We will be discussing two different types of cell reproduction--mitosis and
meiosis. These processes are responsible for creating two different types
of cells. Mitosis is a process that creates a nearly exact copy of the original
cell. Somatic cells, which include nearly all human cells, are created by
this process. Meiosis is a different form of reproduction that leads to the
production of germ cells, or sex cells. All cells fall into one of
these two categories, which we will discuss in depth in the coming SparkNotes on
Cell Reproduction. Some organisms, such as
bacteria and
single-celled organisms, use
only mitosis for cell reproduction.
The difference between mitosis and meiosis can also be thought of as the
difference between sexual and asexual reproduction. Humans obviously reproduce
sexually, but this is not true for all organisms. Many lower-order cells create
entirely new organisms with each round of mitosis: asexual reproduction. In
humans and other organisms that reproduce sexually, meiosis is needed to take
into account the genetic contribution of the two parent organisms.
This SparkNote will provide a general introduction to cell division and cell
reproduction as well as introduce some terms that will ease our understanding of
mitosis and meiosis.
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