Abstract
The most important modification of mitosis is meiosis, which is the reduction division that gives rise to the haploid generation in the life cycle. In mammals, the haploid generation is restricted to one cell type, the gamete, whereas the other cells in the animal are diploid. However, in many other organisms, especially lower plants, the haploid generation is more important than the diploid; or the two generations may be more or less equal, as in the mosses. In those organisms in which the haploid phase dominates, the diploid generation may be represented by only one cell, the zygote. Under those circumstances, meiosis takes place immediately after fertilization.
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© 1993 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
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Therman, E., Susman, M. (1993). Main Features of Meiosis. In: Human Chromosomes. Springer Study Edition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0529-3_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0529-3_17
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-97871-0
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