Difference Between Cell Division and Nuclear Division

The key difference between cell division and nuclear division is that the cell division is the process of splitting of a parent cell into two daughter cells while the nuclear division is the process of obtaining two daughter nuclei by splitting of a parent nucleus.

Both cell division and nuclear divisions are two types of events that take place during the cell cycle. And both are splitting processes. In simple words, in both processes, two daughter cells or two nuclei originate from a single cell or a single nucleus. Cell division is the overall process, and the nuclear division is one of the major steps of cell division. On the other hand, the nuclear division is followed by cytokinesis. This article intends to discuss the difference between cell division and nuclear division.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Cell Division
3. What is Nuclear Division
4. Similarities Between Cell Division and Nuclear Division
5. Side by Side Comparison – Cell Division vs Nuclear Division in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Cell Division?

Cell division is the process of obtaining two daughter cells by the splitting of a single parent cell. According to the modern cell theory, new cells arrive from pre-existing cells. Therefore, cell division is the process of producing new cells from existing ones. Nuclear division and cytokinesis are the major steps in cell division.

Moreover, cell division is of two main types namely mitosis (vegetative cell division) and meiosis (cell division for the formation of gametes). Vegetative cells divide by mitosis, and it is important for growth and repair and also for asexual reproduction.  Similarly, the formation of gametes is an essential factor for sexual reproduction. Gametes are formed through meiotic cell division. Meiosis enhances genetic variation due to the fusion of male and female gametes, random distribution of chromosomes and crossing of between homologous chromosomes.

What is Nuclear Division?

Nuclear division splits a parent nucleus into two daughter nuclei. It is the first step in cell division. Then it is followed by cytoplasmic division; cytokinesis. Nuclear division occurs under mitosis and meiosis.

During mitosis, two daughter nuclei are produced with the exact number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus. But, meiosis results in four daughter nuclei with half the number of chromosomes concerning the chromosomes of the parent nucleus.

Moreover, prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase are the four main steps of mitosis. But during meiosis, two consequent nuclear division steps take place. They are meiosis I and meiosis II and after meiosis I, cytokinesis occurs, and then meiosis II takes place resulting in four cells.

What are the Similarities Between Cell Division and Nuclear Division?

• Cell Division and Nuclear Division are two splitting events that take place during the cell cycle.
• Also, both steps are essential for the formation of new cells.

What is the Difference Between Cell Division and Nuclear Division?

Both cell division and nuclear division are important in order to make new cells that are needed for growth, repair and sexual reproduction. In fact, nuclear division is a part of cell division. However, there exists a difference between cell division and nuclear division. Cell division is the process of producing new daughter cells from a parent cell. Whereas, nuclear division is the division of the genetic material of the parent nucleus into daughter nuclei. Thus, we can consider this as the key difference between cell division and nuclear division. Also, another difference between cell division and nuclear division is the major events that take place during these two processes. The below infographic on the difference between cell division and nuclear division provides more information on these differences.

Summary – Cell Division vs Nuclear Division

Both cell division and nuclear division are two types of events that take place during the cell cycle. The key difference between cell division and nuclear division depends on the splitting process. Cell division is the process of splitting of a parent cell into daughter cells while the nuclear division is the process of parent nucleus into daughter nuclei. However, the nuclear division is one of the two steps of cell division. Both cell division and nuclear division are essential for the formation of new cells and gametes. Thus, this is the summary of the difference between cell division and nuclear division.

Reference:

1. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Cell Division.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 Mar. 2013. Available here  
2. “Nuclear Divisions (Mitosis and Meiosis) and the Cell Cycle.” Native American Literature. Available here

Image Courtesy:

1.”Three cell growth types” (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia 
2.”Mitosis Stages”By Ali Zifan – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia