What is the difference between bivalent and synaptonemal complex?

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Please find below the solution to the asked query:

Bivalent is a pair of synapsed homologous chromosomes. During zygotene stage, when homologous chromosomes start to pair up, they appear as bivalents. This means that only two homologous chromosomes appear together, not their sister chromatids. Each bivalent is formed of one paternal and one maternal chromosome.

The synaptonemal complex is a protein structure formed between two homologous chromosomes during meiosis. The synaptonemal complex mediates chromosome pairing or synapsis. During the Zygotene stage of prophase I of meiosis, the homologous chromosomes start pairing together by a process called synapsis to form a complex structure called synaptonemal complex. 

Hope this information will clear your doubts about the difference between bivalent and synaptonemal complex

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