why does meiosis and mitosis occur in germ cells?
- The Germ Cell Cycle (Meiosis)
- The Somatic Cell Cycle (Mitosis)
- Meiosis only occurs in germ cells. Meiosis is a reduction division that results with haploid cells – (half the chromosome number of the parent cell.)
- The normal chromosome number is restored in diploid cell, when two haploid gametes fuse during fertilization, and hence meiosis is necessary in gametes. If meiosis does not occur during gamete formation, the number would be doubled every time during fertilization.
- Meiosis does not occur in somatic cells. Because somatic cells will not take part in fertilization and hence divide by mitosis and produces daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes as the parental cell. Mitosis helps for growth, replacing damaged cells and asexual reproduction.