Meiosis

In the sexually reproducing organism two sex cell or gametes containing

haploid number of chromosomes (n) fuse and form a zygote. The zygote
possesses a nucleus which contains double number of chromosomes. Such
cells are commonly symbolized as diploid or 2n cells. If mitosis is the only
method of nuclear division the number of chromosomes would be doubled in
succeeding generations. But, the chromosomes number for a particular animal
or plant species is fixed. It is, therefore, necessary that the gametes must be
provided with haploid chromosomes number in order to keep the number of
chromosomes of a given species constant in each generation. The number of
chromosomes of a gamete is symbolized by ‘n’ (haploid or gametic
chromosomes number). The mechanism which reduces the double (diploid or
2n) complements of chromosomes to haploid set (n) in each sexual generation
is called meiosis.

Weismann (1887) was the first to point out the reduction of chromosomes
number in the reproductive cells. Later Farmer and Moor (1905) proposed the
term meiosis for the special type of cell division that reduces the chromosomes
number by half from diploid to haploid condition. The products of meiosis have
half as many chromosomes as the parental cell possesses.

During meiosis, homologous chromosomes of a diploid nucleus pair, replicate

only once producing 4n and undergo assortment so that each of the four
daughter cells resulting from two successive divisions of the meiosis cell or
meiocyte receives one representative of each chromosomes set. Thus, the
diploid chromosomes number is meiotically reduced to haploid number (n),
characteristics for the gametes of haploid phase of the life cycle.

Types of Meiosis

The reduction of chromosomes number takes place either before or after

reduction. In animals, the reduction division occurs during germ cell formation,
but in higher plants it occurs generally in the spore mother cells during
sporogenesis (spore formation). On the basis of time at which meiosis takes
place three different types of meiosis have been recognized:

1. Terminal or gametic meiosis. It is found in animal and a few lover plant,

this type of Meiosis occurs just before the formation of gametes or
gametes genesis.
 2. Initial or zygotic meiosis. This type of meiosis is seen in plants with
haplontic life cycle and it occurs in zygote just after fertilization.

3. Intermediary meiosis or sporic meiosis. It is a characteristic of species

with diplo – haplontic life cycle. This type of meiosis takes place at some
time intermediate between fertilization and formation of gametes. It is
involved in the production of spores or sporogenesis.

MEIOCYTES. The cells which divide by meiosis are called meiocytes. In animals
the primary oocytes and primary spermocytes are meiocytes. In most of higher
plants the meiocytes are sporocytes (spore mother cells) giving rise to
microspores or pollen grains (male sex) and megaspores (female sex). In
haploid plants, the zygotes act as meiocytes.
Important materials for the study of this process in plant are young anther of
tradescantia, Datura, maize, vicia and onion.

Process of meiosis
Meiosis completes in two successive divisions:
1. Meiosis I or reduction division or heterotypic division.
2. Meiosis II or homotypic division.
Both these divisions involve two steps:
a. Division of nucleus or karyokinesis
b. Division of cytoplasm or cytokinesis
1. Meiosis first
It is very important division in which chromosomes number of a cell is
reduced to half in daughter cells. It is also called heterotypic division or
reduction division.