General Concepts & Definitions

Question 1

What is descriptive embryology?

Answer 1

A field that catalogs gene expression patterns during development.

Question 2

What organism is commonly studied in descriptive embryology?

Answer 2

Xenopus laevis.

Question 3

What is a fate map?

Answer 3

A representation of the cell lineage and fates during development.

Question 4

What is the experimental embryology approach?

Answer 4

Studies how cells acquire their fate through manipulation.

Question 5

What determines cell fate in developmental biology?

Answer 5

Inheritance of cell fate determinants and cell-cell communication.

Question 6

Fill in the blank: The developmental biology version of the nature versus nurture question is about the influence of _______ versus _______.

Answer 6

who your parents are; who you hang out with

Question 7

What is mosaic development?

Answer 7

A type of development where cell fate is determined by cytoplasmic determinants.

Question 8

What is the significance of the grey crescent in frog embryos?

Answer 8

It is required for normal development and is inherited during the first division.

Question 9

Who conducted the famous ‘Organizer Experiment’ in 1924?

Answer 9

Hilda Mangold and Hans Spemann.

Question 10

What is the difference between a fate map and a specification map?

Answer 10

Fate map assesses what a cell will become in situ, while specification map assesses what it will form if isolated.

Question 11

What does ‘competence’ refer to in developmental biology?

Answer 11

The range of developmental potential of a cell or tissue.

Question 12

True or False: Fate maps and specification maps are equivalent.

Answer 12

False.

Question 13

What is induction in the context of developmental biology?

Answer 13

The process by which a cell influences neighboring cells to change their fate.

Question 14

What does regulative development mean?

Answer 14

The ability of an embryo to adjust and regulate its development.

Question 15

What is the role of the Nieuwkoop Centre in early frog development?

Answer 15

It induces the organizer which influences neural ectoderm and dorsal mesoderm.

Question 16

What does the term ‘determined’ mean for a cell or tissue?

Answer 16

It will develop according to its fate regardless of its environment.

Question 17

What evidence supports mosaic development in embryos?

Answer 17

Experiments showing that cytoplasmic determinants dictate cell fate.

Question 18

What are cytoplasmic determinants?

Answer 18

Factors in the cytoplasm that influence cell fate during development.

Question 19

What is the significance of Wilhelm Roux’s experiment on frog embryos?

Answer 19

It provided evidence for mosaic development.

Question 20

Fill in the blank: The process of cortical rotation in frog embryos breaks _______ symmetry.

Answer 20

radial

Question 21

What is the result of the first division in frog embryos?

Answer 21

It bisects the grey crescent.

Question 22

What is the 4 signal model of induction events in early frog embryos?

Answer 22

1. General mesoderm inducer from the vegetal pole
2. Nieuwkoop centre in the dorsal vegetal pole induces organizer
3. Organizer induces neural ectoderm and dorsalizes ventral mesoderm
4. Ventral mesoderm antagonizes dorsal mesoderm

Question 23

What is the main conclusion from Conklin’s statement regarding evolution?

Answer 23

The principal problem of evolution is understanding modifications in the germ.

Question 24

What is the role of the dorsal lip of the blastopore?

Answer 24

It is fated to become notochord and is determined even when transplanted.

Question 25

What is a significant characteristic of the frog oocyte and egg?

Answer 25

It has inherent asymmetry.

Question 26

What does the term ‘potency’ refer to in developmental biology?

Answer 26

The potential of a cell to develop into different cell types.

Question 27

What is the relationship between mesoderm inducers and competence?

Answer 27

Cells must be competent to respond to mesoderm inducers.

Question 28

What does the term ‘asymmetric inheritance’ refer to?

Answer 28

The unequal distribution of cytoplasmic determinants during cell division.