Mitosis Lab

Purpose:

To identify the 5 phases of the cell cycle in plant and animal cells.

To compare mitosis in plant and animal cells.

To identify all cellular structures involved in mitosis

Materials:

MicroviewersMicroscopes

Microslides of plant and animal mitosisSlide of onion root tip

Procedure:

Part I. Animal Mitosis

1. Obtain a microviewer and microslide with a booklet.

2. Observe the slides showing each of the following phases: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

3. In the space provided on your data sheet, draw what you see occurring at each phase, and label all cellular structures seen. If you are not sure what you are looking at, read the booklet that goes along with the microslide.

4. When you are finished, return the microviewer and microslide to where you found them.

Part II. Plant Mitosis

1. Obtain a microviewer and microslide with a booklet.

2. Observe the slides showing each of the following phases: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

3. In the space provided on your data sheet, draw what you see occurring at each phase, and label all cellular structures seen. If you are not sure what you are looking at, read the booklet that goes along with the microslide.

4. When you are finished, return the microviewer and microslide to where you found them.

Data/Observations:

Part I. Animal Mitosis

InterphaseProphaseMetaphase

AnaphaseTelophase

Part II. Plant Mitosis

InterphaseProphaseMetaphase

AnaphaseTelophase

Analysis Questions

1. What structure is seen in animal mitosis but not in plant mitosis?

2. How does telophase in plant cells differ from telophase in animal cells?

3. Explain why telophase in plants and animals is different (think in terms of a cellular structure they do not share).

4. How do the two new daughter cells created during mitosis compare to the original parent cell?

5. What happens to the cells after mitosis takes place? (What phase does it go back into?)

6. What are some situations in which cell division would take place in an organism?

7. How will this process look different in a prokaryotic cell?

8. Observe slides 6 & 8 of the plant cell microslide under the microviewer. Count how many cells are seen in each of the five phases of the cell cycle.

Interphase:Prophase:Metaphase:

Anaphase:Telophase:

  1. Which phase had the most cells? Why do you think this is so?

10. What is occurring inside the cell during interphase that cannot be seen by looking at the slide? Why is this event important to the cell preparing to divide?