Chapter 12: The cell cyle
In eukaryotic organisms, heritable information is packaged into chromosomes that are passed to daughter cells,. Alternating with interphase in the cell cycle, mitosis followed by cytokinesis provides a mechanism in which each daughter cell receives an identical and a complete complement of chromosomes. Mitosis ensures fidelity in the transmission of heritable information, and production of identical progeny allows the organisms to grow, replace cells and reproduce asexually.