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What Happens to the Parent Cell After Division?

Living tissue exhibits extraordinary qualities in regards to replication and reproduction. Cells have the ability to divide and replicate seemingly on command, although they do require an adequate amount of energy. Cell division generally takes place through either mitosis or meiosis, which occurs in both plants and animals. In general, the parent cell, or cell that undergoes the process, merely replicates or changes forms, allowing it to continue on with all subsequent cells.

Mitosis Cell Lifespan
- Mitosis makes up the most common form of cell division. This type of division is exclusive to asexually reproducing organisms, but also makes up the majority of division within eukaryotes, including humans. During mitosis, cells create identical copies of other cells (called parent or sister cells). The genetically identical cells operate in the exact same way as the parent, both lasting up until the point when the cell dies. An example of this is human skin, which is constantly being scratched away and replenished through mitosis.
Meiosis Cell Lifespan
- Alternative to mitosis is the sexual recombination of meiosis. The key to successful division in meiosis is through gene recombination. In this case, two parent cells meet and exchange genetic information, literally altering the original parent cells. The genetic information comes from two different types of male and female cells, usually being a sperm and egg. The newly created cells proceed with mitotic division, replicating continually and identically, just like other cells undergoing mitosis.
Cytokinesis
- Mitotic division ends with the breakaway point---cytokinesis. This part of division features the final split of parent or sister cells. The cytoplasms divide, forming two completely new cells. The tricky part regarding mitosis is determining a parent cell as each cell will look identical to each other as they are splitting.
Other Stages of Division
- For division to properly take place, several things need to occur. Prophase features the nuclear envelope dissolving, where centrioles begin division. Metaphase then features chromosome migration, followed by anaphase where centromeres separate across the spindle. Telophase causes nuclear envelopes to reappear on the two new cells and finally cytokinesis causes the final separation.

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