Meiosis is a type of cell division that occurs in sexually reproducing organisms. It involves two rounds of cell division, known as meiosis I and meiosis II, which result in the production of four haploid daughter cells from a single diploid parent cell. Here are the events that occur during each phase of meiosis I and meiosis II:
Meiosis I:
- Prophase I: Chromosomes condense, the nuclear membrane begins to disintegrate, and the centrosomes begin moving apart. Homologous chromosomes pair up and may exchange fragments by a process called crossing over. The chromosomes partially separate in late prophase, resulting in chromosomes that are mixtures of the original two chromosomes.
- Metaphase I: Homologous chromosome pairs align at the equator of the cell.
- Anaphase I: Homologous chromosomes separate and move towards opposite poles of the cell.
- Telophase I: Chromosomes arrive at opposite poles of the cell, and cytokinesis usually occurs at the same time, forming two haploid daughter cells.
Meiosis II:
- Prophase II: Chromosomes condense again, and the nuclear membrane disintegrates.
- Metaphase II: Chromosomes align at the equator of the cell.
- Anaphase II: Sister chromatids separate and move towards opposite poles of the cell.
- Telophase II: Chromosomes arrive at opposite poles of the cell, and cytokinesis occurs, forming four haploid daughter cells.
In summary, meiosis I involves the separation of homologous chromosomes, while meiosis II involves the separation of sister chromatids.

