B13.1 - 13.5 - Reproduction + DNA (set A)✔️ Flashcards
Define sexual reproduction?
Where genetic information from two organisms (father + mother) is combined to produce offspring which are genetically different to either parent
What do both parents produce for sexual reproduction and by which process?
Mother and father produce gametes by meiosis eg sperm and egg cells in animials
How many chromosomes does each gamete contain in humans?
23 chromosomes - which is half the number of chromosomes in a normal cell (as a gamete only has 1 of each chromosome instead of 2)
what happens when the egg is fertilised by the sperm cell?
The egg and sperm cell fuse together (fertilisation) to from a cell with the full number of chromosomes (half from the mother and half from the father)
What is required for sexual reproduction?
Involves the fusion of male and female gametes - so requires 2 parents
What causes variation in offspring?
The mixture of genetic information as the offspring receives a miture of chromosomes from both parents which code for different things eg hair colour
Define asexual reproduction?
Involves only 1 parent so the offspring are genetically identical to the parent and happens by mitosis - there is no fusion of gametes and no mixing of chromosomes and no genetic variation
Significance of asexual reproduction happening by mitosis?
Cells divide in two with the new cell having exactly the same genetic information as the parent cell so it is called a clone
Example of some thngs which reproduce asexualy?
Bacteria , some plants and some animials
Explain step 1 of meiosis?
First, cell duplicates its genetic information forming two armed chromosomes - one arm of each chromosome is the exact copy of the other arm - after replication chromosomes arrange themselves in pairs
Explain step 2 of meiosis?
In the first divison in meiosis the chromosomes pair line up in the centre of the cell
Explain step 3 of meiosis?
Pairs are then pulled apart (so each new cells only has one copy of each chromosome) both the mothers and fathers chromosomes go into each new cell
Explain step 4 of meiosis?
In the second division the chromosomes line up again - in the centre of the cell the arms of the chromosomes are pulled apart
Explain step 5 of meiosis?
You get 4 gametes which only has a single set of chromsomes in it - each gamete is genetically different from the others because they get shuffled up during meiosis and each gamete only gets half of them at random
What is the only location where meiosis takes place in humans?
Only happens in the reproductive organs to make gametes (sex cells)
What happens after the gametes have fused during fertilisation?
Resulting new cell divides by mitosis to make a copy of itself which continues to form lots of new cells in an embryo - as the embryo starts to develop these cells start to differentiate into different types of specialised cells that make up a whole organism
Advantages of sexual reproduction over asexual?
-variation in offspring
-variation increases chance of a species survival in changing enviorments
-natural selection
-selective breeding - produce indivisual with desirable characteristics
Define natural selection?
Better indivisuals with characteritstics that make them better adapted to the enviorment have a better chance of survival and will pass these characteristics on
Advantages of asexual reproduction over sexual?
-only needs to be 1 parent
-uses less energy - organisms dont have to find a mate
-faster then sexual reproduction
-many identical offspring can be produced in favourable conditions
Example of an organism which can produce both sexualy and asexually?
-malaria - reproduces sexually when carried by mosquito and asexually when in human host
-species of fungus - reproduce asexualy by spores but also sexually to give variation
-species of plants - produce seeds sexually but also reproduce asexually
What are chromosomes made up of?
Long molecules of a chemical known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - DNA is a long polymer made up of many repeating units, these very long strands of DNA twist and spiral to form a double helix structure
What are genes? what do they code for?
Small section of DNA on a chromosome, and is where the genetic information is sored - each gene codes for a particular sequence of amino acids to make a specific protein (these proteins include enzymes aswell)
What is the genome of an organism?
Is the entire genetic material of the organism - include all of the chromosomes and the genetic material found in the mitchondria (mitochondria contain their own DNA which you inherit from your mother becasue it come from mitchondria in the egg)
Why is understanding the human genome important?
Helps us understand inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease and overcoming them through medecine or repairing faulty genes