Explain why mitosis does not produce genetic variation and how meiosis leads to the production of tremendous genetic variation.

Mitosis produces cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell.

Meiosis includes two distinct processes that contribute to the generation of

genetic variation: crossing over shuffles alleles on the same chromosome

into new combinations, whereas the random distribution of maternal and

paternal chromosomes shuffles alleles on different chromosomes into new

combinations.