For the biological diversity is mitosis or meiosis the more important process?
Meiosis is the cell division process that allows the formation of gametes to sexual reproduction, with aleatory separation of each chromosome of the individual homologous pairs. These gametes can fecundate gametes from other individuals promoting combination of homologous chromosomes from different individuals. In that manner the chromosomal recombination provided by meiosis and sexual reproduction creates individuals with dissimilar genetic patrimony from their fathers and thus promotes biological diversity. Some fungi species and plants, for example, present sporic meiosis, i.e., a structure where half of the chromosomes of the species is generated from meiosis. This structure, by mitosis, forms gametes. Even in this case diversity comes from meiosis. Meiosis then is the cell division process that in conjunction with genetic mutations is responsible for the biological diversity. Even in species having zygotic meiosis the aleatory separation of homologous chromosomes in meiosis creates biological diversity.
