biology- reproduction and inheritance p2 Flashcards
what does the nucleus contain?
your genetic material in the form of chromosomes
what are chromosomes?
long lengths of DNA coiled up
what is a gene?
a short section of DNA
what does diploid mean?
each cell has two copies of each chromosome, arranged in pairs
what is the diploid number for a human?
46
what is DNA?
a long list of instructions on how to put an organism together and make it work
what does each separate gene in a DNA molecule do/is?
is a chemical instruction that codes for a particular protein
why are proteins important?
they control most processes in the body. They determine inherited characteristics e.g. eye colour, blood type
by controlling the production of proteins, what also controls our inherited characteristics?
genes
what are alleles?
different versions of the same gene
describe DNA structure
a DNA molecule has two strands coiled together in the shape of a doubles helix. The two strands are held together by chemicals called bases
what are the 4 bases in DNA, how do they pair?
adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine : A-T and C-G
what is DNA a type of ?
nucleic acid
what is mitosis?
when a cell reproduces itself by splitting to form two cells with identical sets of chromosomes
what are some organisms which produce asexually?
bacteria and plants
define asexual reproduction
it involves only one parent. The offspring have identical genes to the parent- so there’s no variation between parent and offspring
what are the 6 stages of mitosis?
1) in a cell that’s not dividing, the DNA is all spread out in long strings
2) if the cell gets a signal to divide, it duplicates its DNA- one copy for each new cell
- the DNA forms X-shaped chromosomes:each ‘arm’ of the chromosome is an exact duplicate of the other
3) the chromosomes line up at the centre of the cell and cell fibres pull them apart. the two arms go to opposite ends of the cell
4) membranes form around each of the sets of chromosomes. these become the nuclei of the two new cells
5) the cytoplasm divides
6) left with 2 new cells containing exactly the same DNA-genetically identical
what uses mitosis?
make new cells
growth and repair damaged tissues
cloning
what is sexual reproduction?
involves the fusion of male and female gametes. because there are 2 parents, the offspring contain a mixture of their parent’s genes- they are genetically different
why are gametes haploid?
they have half the number of chromosomes in a normal cell. in humans gametes contain 23 chromosomes- haploid number is 23
what happens after fertilisation?
the zygote ends up with the full set of chromosomes and undergoes cell division by mitosis and develops into an embryo
how is genetic variation in the offspring produced?
because the fertilisation of gametes is random
define meiosis
meiosis produces four haploid cells whose chromosomes are not identical
what are the 6 stages of meiosis?
1) before the cell divides it duplicates its DNA. each chromosome is an exact copy of the other chromosome
2) in the 1st division, the chromosomes line up in pairs at the centre of the cell
3) the pairs are then pulled apart, so each new cell only has one copy of each chromosome. some father’s and some of the mother’s go into each cell
4) each new cell has a mixture of the mother’s and father’s chromosomes- creates variation in the offspring
5) in the 2nd division the chromosomes line up in the centre of the cell and the arms of each chromosome are pulled apart
6) you get 4 haploid gametes- each has only a single set of chromosomes. The gametes are all genetically different
what’s the male reproductive part in a plant called and what does it consist of?
the stamen- consists of the anther and filament
- anther contains pollen grains to produce the male gametes
- the filament is the stalk that supports the anther
what is the females reproductive part in a plant and does it consist of?
the carpel-
- stigma- the end bit that pollen grains attach to
- the style is the rod-like section that supports the stigma
- the ovary contains the female gametes
what is pollination?
the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma so that the male gametes can fertilise the female gametes
what is cross-pollination?
in sexual reproduction when pollen is transferred from the anther of one plant to the stigma of a different plant
how are plants adapted for insect pollination?
1) brightly coloured petals
2) scented flowers and nectaries
3) big, sticky pollen grains to stick to insects
4) stigma is sticky so pollen can stick to the stigma
how are plants adapted for wind pollination?
1) small, dull petals
2) no nectaries or strong scents
3) a lot of pollen grains- small and light so easily carried by the wind
4) long filaments that hang the anthers outside the flower-lots of pollen gets blown away by the wind
5) large and feathery stigma to catch pollen- hangs outside the flower to catch pollen
describe the 4 steps in plant fertilisation
1) a pollen grain lands on the stigma of a flower by wind or insects
2) a pollen tube grows out of the pollen grain and down through the style to the ovary
3) a nucleus from the males gamete moves down the tube to join the female gamete in the ovary. Fertilisation is when the 2 nuclei fuse together to make a zygote. This divides by mitosis to form an embryo
4) each fertilised female gamete forms a seed. The ovary develops into a fruit around the seed
how do plants reproduce asexually?
in strawberry plants, the parent plant send out runners= fast-growing stems that grow sideways just above the ground
the runners take root at various point and new plants start to grow
the new plants are clones of the parent strawberry plant, so no genetic variation between them
what do plants reproduce asexually using artificial methods?
- used to clone plants
1) gardeners take cutting from good parent plants, each with a new bud
2) the cuttings are kept in moist condition until they are ready to plant
3) then planted and produce genetically identical copies - produced quickly and cheaply
in the penis, what happens to the erectile tissue during sex?
swells when filled with blood, to make the penis erect
what do the glands do in male sex organ?
produce the liquid that’s added to sperm to make seme
what are vas deferens?
the sperm ducts- muscular tube that carries sperm from the testis towards the urethra
how does the female reproductive system make ova?
1) an ovum is produced every 28 days form one of the two ovaries
2) it passes into the fallopian tube where it might meet sperm that have entered during sex
3) it isn’t fertilised, the ovum will break up and pass out the vagina
4) if it is fertilised, the ovum starts to divide. The new cells will travel down the Fallopian tube to the uterus(womb) and attach to the endometrium (uterus lining). A fertilised ovum develops into an embryo
what’s the Fallopian tube?
or oviduct- muscular tube that carries the ovum from the ovary to the uterus- fertilisation here