Here's a breakdown:
* Mitosis: During mitosis, the two identical copies of each chromosome, called sister chromatids, are pulled apart towards opposite poles of the cell. This ensures that each daughter cell receives a complete set of chromosomes.
* Meiosis: A similar process occurs during meiosis, although the chromosomes are duplicated twice, and the daughter cells receive only half the number of chromosomes from the parent cell.
The movement of chromosomes is driven by microtubules, which are protein fibers that form a structure called the spindle apparatus. The spindle fibers attach to the centromeres of the chromosomes, and then shorten, pulling the chromosomes towards the poles.
