Bio-Pac 05: Vocabulary

Question 1

Diploid

Answer 1

A cell with two of each kind of chromosomes. A cell is said to contain a diploid, or 2n, number of chromosomes .

Question 2

Haploid

Answer 2

A cell with one of each kind of chromosomes. A cell is said to contain a haploid, or n, number of chromosomes .

Question 3

Homologous Chromosomes

Answer 3

The two chromosomes of each pair in a diploid cell help determine what the individual organism looks like. These paired chromosomes are called homologous chromosomes .

Question 4

Meiosis

Answer 4

The kind of cell division which produces gametes (cell involved in sexual reproduction) containing half the number as a parent’s body is meiosis .

Question 5

Sperm

Answer 5

Male gametes (cell involved in sexual reproduction) are called sperm cells .

Question 6

Eggs

Answer 6

Female gametes (cell involved in sexual reproduction) are called egg cells .

Question 7

Zygote

Answer 7

When a sperm fertilizes an egg, the resulting cell, called a zygote, once again has the diploid number of chromosomes .

Question 8

Sexual Reproduction

Answer 8

The pattern of reproduction that involves the production and subsequent fusion of haploid sex cells .

Question 9

Tetrad

Answer 9

Each pair of homologous chromosomes come together to form a four-part structure. A tetrad consists of two homologous chromosomes, each made up of two sister chromatids .

Question 10

Crossing Over

Answer 10

The chromatids in a tetrad pair so tightly, that non-sister chromatids from homologous chromosomes sometimes actually exchange genetic material in this process. Crossing over results in new combinations of alleles on a chromosome.

Question 11

Genetic Recombination

Answer 11

The reassortment of chromosomes and genetic information by crossing over or by independent segregation of homologous chromosomes is called genetic recombination .

Question 12

Nitrogen Base

Answer 12

Organic ring structure that contains one or more atoms of nitrogen. In DNA there is Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine.

Question 13

Nucleotide

Answer 13

In nucleic acids, nucleotides do not exist as individual molecules. In DNA, nucleotides combine to form two long chains, producing one large molecule. Each chain of nucleotides contains single nucleotides connected to each other. The two chains of nucleotides in DNA are joined by hydrogen bonds between the bases.

Question 14

Double Helix

Answer 14

The two chains of nucleotides in DNA are joined by hydrogen bonds between the bases, resulting in a structure that is like a ladder. When something is twisted like a coiled spring, the shape is a helix. Because DNA is composed of two twisted strands, its shape is a double helix.

Question 15

Codon

Answer 15

Each set of three nitrogen bases representing an amino acid.

Question 16

mRNA

Answer 16

Messenger RNA is the RNA copy that carries the information from DNA out into the cytoplasm of the cell.

Question 17

rRNA

Answer 17

Ribosomal RNA is the portion of the DNA code for the RNA (which is copied from DNA) that makes up ribosomes. rRNA helps produce enzymes needed to bond amino acids together during protein synthesis.

Question 18

tRNA

Answer 18

Transfer RNA brings the amino acids to the ribosomes so they can be assembled into proteins. After it brings the amino acids it goes and gets more for another process, it is not just used for one process and does not have to have a new one created for each process like mRNA and rRNA.

Question 19

Stop Codon

Answer 19

A codon of the mRNA strand. When this is reached during protein synthesis, the protein is spit out of the ribosome and protein synthesis is done.