biology

The meiotic counterpart to this phase sees the collection of transverse filaments to create a
synaptonemal complex and the packing of homologs to form bivalents. In plants, during this phase,
actin fibers line up; they will later guide the formation of cell plates during cytokinesis. During this
phase, microtubules connect to (*) kinetochores, the mitotic spindle forms, the nuclear envelope
disappears, and chromatin is condensed to form chromosomes. For 10 points, name this phase preceded by metaphase, the first phase of mitosis