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D2.1.6—Shared features

Mitosis and meiosis share chromosome condensation, spindle microtubule movement and chromatid separation, although their outcomes differ strongly in dividing cells.

Syllabus
First assessment 2025
Objective
D2.1.6
Level
HL

Exam analysis

Chance of appearing1%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2021
Most common paperPaper1
Typical marks1

Common command terms

  • Identify

Recent exam appearances

May 2021Paper1 ["HL"] · TZ235[ 1 ]D2.1.6—Shared features
Practice this objective

Coverage 2021–2021 · Updated 16 Jul 2026

Mitosis and Meiosis Share a Controlled Division Logic

Mitosis and meiosis both condense chromosomes and move them accurately between new nuclei.

Histones organize DNA into nucleosomes, and further supercoiling condenses the long chromatin fibres into compact chromosomes that can be moved without tangling.

Spindle microtubules attach to chromosomes, and microtubule motors plus microtubule shortening or growth generate directed movement. Alignment and separation differ between divisions, but the same general machinery organizes chromosome distribution.

In both mitosis and meiosis II, sister chromatids move toward opposite poles; in meiosis I, homologous chromosomes move apart while sister chromatids remain together.

Shared condensation and movement mechanisms do not make the outcomes identical: the chromosome partners separated and the number of divisions differ.

Shared features

Assessment in practice

1 marks
How it is assessed

This objective is assessed through multiple choice, commonly using Identify.

Command terms

Identify

What earns marks

Build the answer around this relationship: Both mitosis and meiosis use spindle microtubules to move chromosomes.

Representative question

Question 1

[Maximum number: 1]

What occurs in cell division during both mitosis and meiosis?

A

Condensation of DNA by supercoiling in telophase

B

Movement of microtubules to move chromatids in anaphase

C

Pairing of homologous chromosomes in prophase

D

Crossing over between chromosomes in metaphase

Core Cell Division

  • Cell division produces daughter cells for growth, repair or reproduction; cytokinesis divides cytoplasm by a contractile ring in animals or a cell plate in plants.
  • DNA replication creates sister chromatids joined at centromeres before nuclear division.
  • Mitosis preserves chromosome number: chromosomes condense, align, sister chromatids separate and nuclei reform, producing genetically identical nuclei.
  • Meiosis follows one replication with two divisions: homologous chromosomes separate in meiosis I and sister chromatids in meiosis II, producing haploid cells.
  • Crossing over, independent orientation and random fertilization generate allele combinations.
  • Non-disjunction is failed chromosome separation and can produce aneuploid cells, including trisomy 21.
  • Identify stages in micrographs from chromosome condensation, equatorial alignment, separation and nuclear-envelope cues.

Concept essentials

  • Both mitosis and meiosis use spindle microtubules to move chromosomes.
  • Sister chromatids separate in mitosis and meiosis II.
  • Chromosome condensation helps make DNA movable during division.
  • Crossing over and homologous pairing are not shared features of mitosis.