2.3 VARIATION AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTION Flashcards
What is a benefit of sexual reproduction?
Huge genetic variability amongst offspring and therefore in population
What is a cost of sexual reproduction?
Only half of each parent’s genome is passed onto offspring disrupting successful parental genome
What is the term given to half of the population not being able to reproduce?
The paradox of the existence of males
Is sexual reproduction worth the cost?
The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages due to the increase in variation within the population
Genetic variation can be described as?
Essential raw material for natural selection (and the Red Queen’s arms race)
What are three benefits of asexual reproduction?
Rapid reproduction, lower metabolic costs, every member of population can reproduce
Where is asexual reproduction found?
In very narrow stable niches
When is asexual reproduction particularly useful?
In the recolonization of disturbed habitats
Give two examples of asexual reproduction in eukaryotes.
Vegetative cloning in plants, parthenogenesis in animals lacking fertilisation
What is vegetative cloning?
When a new plant grows from a fragment of the parent plant or from a specialised reproductive structure
What is the literal meaning of parthenogenesis?
Virgin creation
What is parthenogenesis?
Reproduction from an ovum without fertilisation - producing clones
Can males be produced by parthenogenesis?
Yes; through the deletion of a sex chromosome
Where is parthenogenesis most commonly found?
In cooler climates
Why is parthenogenesis more commonly found in cooler climates?
They are disadvantageous to parasites - regions of low parasite density
What are prokaryotes?
Microscopic single-celled organisms (eg bacteria, archaea)
Name a mechanism that prokaryotes use to move genes between individuals of the same generation.
Horizontal gene transfer
Give an example of horizontal gene transfer.
Plasmids of bacteria and yeast
What are homologous chromosomes?
Pairs of chromosomes of the same size, centromere position and genes at the same loci
How can two individuals produce a new combination of alleles?
Through production of haploid gametes
How are haploid gametes produced?
By meiosis in gamete mother cells
What is meiosis?
The process whereby one diploid gamete mother cell divides into four genetically dissimilar haploid gametes
What happens before meiosis begins?
Interphase