= Chromosome synapsis
<Chromosome synapsis> is the close association of homologous <chromosomes> during meiotic prophase, organized in many organisms by a <synaptonemal complex>. It aligns homologous partners, each already containing two sister chromatids. Synapsis therefore differs from the attachment between sister chromatids created after <DNA replication>. <Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Chapter 20, Meiosis: homolog pairing, synaptonemal complex and recombination]{ref}
Alignment provides a setting for homologous <recombination> and the connections supporting later segregation. Pairing, synapsis and a completed crossover are related but distinct events; observing close parallel chromosomes does not alone count exchanges. Their coordination explains how a division can reduce chromosome-set number while maintaining one representative of each homologous set in the products.
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