What occurs after anaphase II in meiosis?

After anaphase II in meiosis, the key event is the separation of sister chromatids. During this phase, the centromeres that hold the sister chromatids together divide, allowing the spindle fibers to pull the chromatids apart toward opposite poles of the cell. This step is crucial because it ensures that each resulting gamete will receive only one copy of each chromosome.

Following anaphase II, once the sister chromatids are fully separated, the cell will enter telophase II where the chromatids will start to decondense back into chromatin, and the nuclear envelope will reform around each set of chromosomes. Ultimately, this leads to cytokinesis, the division of the cytoplasm, resulting in four unique haploid cells. Each of these cells contains one copy of each chromosome, contributing to genetic diversity in sexual reproduction.

The focus on sister chromatid separation is essential to understanding the meiotic process and how it differs from processes like mitosis, where sister chromatids are also separated, but at a different time and context.