Mitosis is the process by which cells divide. The process of mitosis occurs without alteration in the number of chromosomes in the daughter cells with no variation in genetic information. The resulting daughter cells are identical, exact copies and maintain the normal functioning like their mother cell.
Mitosis is important in the following processes:
Replacement of cells; the cells of the skin and the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract undergo constant sloughing off. Replacement of the sloughed cells is paramount and occurs through mitosis. Mitosis helps in the replacement of cells that are eroded off by friction or other normal physiological occurrences.
Growth and development; while the body grows, the process requires a constant supply of replicated cells. The increase in the number of cells leads to growth. Development will occur when there is complex modification of the growing parts.
Production; mitosis is the backbone for the vegetative kind of asexual production. The process of mitosis ensures that the organism undergoing vegetative production maintains its characteristic integrity.
Restoration; this only applies to organisms that have the ability to regenerate parts of their bodies such as the lizards ability to grow their tails back. This process involves mitosis where the replicated cells are used in the regeneration.
Mitosis is of importance too in the development of cells that require complete typicality and maintenance of complete integrity. These kinds of cells include the hair cells and the blood cells. These cells require strict similarity to maintain the phenotypical integrity of the cells.
Apart from replacement of cells that have sloughed off and growth, the process of mitosis is also important in replacing of damaged cells. Cells that are damaged due to trauma and other physical aspects require replacement and this is made possible through mitosis.
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