Biology 8 Exam Flashcards
Q: What are the main functions of cell division?
Reproduction, growth, and repair.
How do unicellular organisms reproduce?
By cell division.
What two processes does cell division involve in eukaryotes?
Mitosis (division of the nucleus) and cytokinesis (division of the cytoplasm).
What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction?
Asexual reproduction involves a single parent producing genetically identical offspring, while sexual reproduction involves two parents and produces genetically unique offspring.
What type of cell division occurs in bacteria?
Binary fission.
What type of cell division produces human gametes?
Meiosis.
Why is DNA partitioned among chromosomes in eukaryotic cells?
DNA is partitioned among chromosomes to make it easier for the eukaryotic cell to replicate and distribute its large amounts of DNA during cell division.
What do chromosomes consist of, and how do they change during mitosis?
Chromosomes consist of chromatin, a complex of DNA and protein that condenses during mitosis. When chromosomes replicate, they form identical sister chromatids, which separate during mitosis to become the chromosomes of the new daughter cells.
What is binary fission, and how does it differ from mitosis?
Binary fission is the process of bacterial division, which is simpler and not the same as mitosis in eukaryotic cells.
What is asexual reproduction, and how does it occur in single-celled and multicellular organisms?
In asexual reproduction, a single individual passes copies of all its genes to its offspring, resulting in genetically identical offspring.
Single-celled organisms, such as bacteria, and multicellular organisms, like hydras, reproduce asexually. Hydras can reproduce by budding to form genetically identical offspring.
How does mitosis enable asexual reproduction?
Mitosis allows for asexual reproduction by producing cells that carry the same genetic information as the parent cells, making the offspring genetically identical to the parent.
How does sexual reproduction increase genetic variation compared to asexual reproduction?
Sexual reproduction produces greater genetic variation because offspring inherit a unique combination of genes from two parents, making them genetically distinct from both their parents and siblings.
What are human somatic cells, and how many chromosomes do they have?
Human somatic cells are diploid, meaning they have two sets of 23 chromosomes, for a total of 46 chromosomes.
What type of cell division occurs in the ovaries and testes, and what does it produce?
Meiosis occurs in the ovaries and testes, producing haploid gametes (eggs and sperm) that carry only one set of 23 chromosomes each.
What happens during fertilization in humans?
During fertilization, a haploid sperm cell combines with a haploid egg cell to form a diploid zygote with 46 chromosomes. This zygote develops into a sexually mature diploid adult.
What is the alternation of diploid and haploid stages in sexual life cycles?
In sexual life cycles, diploid organisms produce haploid gametes through meiosis, and fertilization produces diploid zygotes, maintaining the alternation between diploid and haploid stages.
What are the main stages of mitosis, and how do they alternate with interphase in the cell cycle?
prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, followed by cytokinesis. Mitosis alternates with interphase, which includes the G1, S, and G2 phases. DNA replication occurs during the S phase.
What is the mitotic spindle, and what is its function?
The mitotic spindle is an apparatus of microtubules that controls chromosome movement during mitosis, ensuring proper distribution to daughter cells.
What is the role of centrosomes and centrioles in mitosis?
Centrosomes, which include centrioles in animal cells, are organelles that help organize the mitotic spindle during cell division.
What happens to chromatids during metaphase and anaphase?
During metaphase, chromatids align at the metaphase plate, and during anaphase, sister chromatids separate and move toward opposite poles of the cell.
How do kinetochore microtubules and motor proteins function during anaphase?
Kinetochore microtubules, with the help of motor proteins, shorten to pull chromatids to opposite poles. Nonkinetochore microtubules slide past each other, elongating the cell.
How does cytokinesis differ between animal and plant cells?
In animal cells, cytokinesis occurs through the formation of a cleavage furrow that pinches the cell in two. In plant cells, a cell plate forms to divide the cytoplasm and create two daughter cells.
What is contained within the cytoplasm of a cell in late interphase?
Two centrosomes, each with centrioles, and chromosomes in the nucleus as loose chromatin. Nucleoli are also present.
What are the five phases of mitosis?
prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
What happens to chromatin fibers during prophase?
The chromatin coils into chromosomes, each made of two sister chromatids.
What initiates the formation of the mitotic spindle?
Microtubules grow out from centrosomes to form the spindle.
What is the metaphase plate?
It’s an imaginary line in the middle of the cell where chromosomes align.
What event marks the beginning of anaphase?
The centromeres split, separating the sister chromatids.
What happens to the spindle microtubules during anaphase?
Spindle microtubules pull chromosomes to opposite sides, and the cell stretches out.
What reforms around the chromosomes during telophase?
Nuclear envelopes form around the chromosomes at each pole
How does cytokinesis differ between animal and plant cells?
In animal cells, a cleavage furrow pinches the cell in two. In plant cells, a cell plate forms to separate the two cells.
What is binary fission?
It’s the simple cell division in bacteria, where the cell splits in two.
What drives the cell cycle?
Proteins called cyclins and Cdks control the timing of the cell cycle.
What are cyclins?
Cyclins are proteins whose levels rise and fall during the cell cycle.
What do cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) do?
Cdks are enzymes that need cyclins to be active and help move the cell through different stages.
What is the role of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC)?
The APC helps separate sister chromatids and destroys cyclins to end mitosis.
What happens as G1-cyclins rise?
G1-cyclins bind to their Cdks, signaling the cell to prepare chromosomes for replication.
What does the S-phase promoting factor (SPF) do?
SPF, which includes cyclin A and Cdk2, enters the nucleus to prepare the cell for DNA duplication and centrosome replication.
What occurs during DNA replication in terms of cyclins?
Cyclin E is destroyed, and the levels of mitotic cyclins increase during G2.
What does the M-phase promoting factor (MPF) initiate?
MPF initiates the assembly of the mitotic spindle, breakdown of the nuclear envelope, and condensation of chromosomes.
What does MPF activate at metaphase?
MPF activates the anaphase promoting complex (APC).
What role does the APC play in cell division?
The APC allows sister chromatids to separate during anaphase and destroys mitotic cyclins, starting the next cycle with G1 cyclin synthesis.
What is the purpose of checkpoints in the cell cycle?
Checkpoints monitor the cell cycle to stop it if something goes wrong.
What does the S phase checkpoint monitor?
It checks for the presence of Okazaki fragments during DNA replication before the cell can continue.
Where do DNA damage checkpoints occur?
DNA damage checkpoints occur before entering S phase (G1), during S phase, and after DNA replication (G2).
What do spindle checkpoints detect?
They detect issues with spindle fibers not attaching to kinetochores, blocking the cell from entering anaphase (M checkpoint).
What happens if there is improper spindle alignment?
The cell will block cytokinesis and may trigger apoptosis if the damage is severe.
What is the consequence of mutations in checkpoint proteins?
Mutations can lead to cancers since they allow damaged cells to continue dividing.
What is the role of checkpoints in the cell cycle?
Checkpoints monitor the cell cycle and can stop it if something goes wrong.
What does the S phase checkpoint monitor?
It checks for Okazaki fragments during DNA replication and won’t allow the cell to continue until they are gone.