Genes and chromosomes Flashcards
meiosis and mitosis
what is heredity
the transmission of traits from one generation to the next
what is genetics
the scientific study of heredity and inherited variation
what are reproductive cells called
gametes
what do gametes do
they are reproductive cells that transmit genes from one generation to the next
what are the male and female gametes
sperm and eggs
where is DNA found in eukaryotes
in the nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplast
humans have ….. chromosomes in their somatic cells
46
what are somatic cells
all the cells of the body except from gametes and their precursors
what does each chromosome consist of
a single DNA molecule coiled in association with various proteins
what is a DNA molecule divided into
genes
what is the locus of a gene
the gene’s location along the length of the chromosome
what kind of reproduction produces offspring that are an exact copy of the parent
asexual reproduction
what happens in asexual reproduction
a single organism passes all of its genes to offspring without the fusion of gametes (gives rise to a clone)
how may differences arise in asexually reproducing organisms
either by mutation or error in cell division
what happens in sexual reproduction
two parents give rise to offspring that have unique combinations of genes inherited form the two parents
offspring vary genetically from siblings and parents
what is a life cycle
the generation to generation sequence of stages in the reproductive history of an organism from conception to production of its own offspring
when chromosomes become condensed for mitosis what characteristics can we analyse
- size
- position of centromeres
- patterns of coloured bands produced by certain chromatin binding stains
what is a karyotype
a display of chromosomes in their 23 pairs
what is the same in the 2 chromosomes of a pair
- length
- centromere position
- staining pattern
what are the pairs of chromosomes called
homologous chromosomes
both chromosomes of each homologous pair carry genes controlling the same ………………………
inherited characteristics
are the X and Y chromosomes homologous
not fully - only small parts are homologous
what kind of chromosomes are the X and Y chromosomes
sex chromosomes
what are all the other chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes called
autosomes
how many chromosomes of a pair do we inherit from each parent
one
what is the number of chromosomes in a single set represented by
n
what is a diploid cell
any cell with two chromosomes
what is the abbreviation for a diploid number of chromosomes
2n
what is the diploid number of chromosomes for humans
2n = 46
once DNA synthesis has occurred each chromosome contains 2 what
sister chromatids
is a cell still diploid once DNA has been synthesised
yes - even though the chromosomes are duplicated the cell is still diploid because it only has 2 sets of information regardless of the number of chromatids (the chromatids are merely copies of the information in one set)
which cells are haploid
gamete cells
what is the haploid chromosome number for humans
n = 23
what does the set of 23 chromosomes consist of
22 autosomes and a single sex chromosome
an unfertilised egg contains which sex chromosome
X
a sperm contains which sex chromosome
either and X or a Y
when does the human life cycle begin
when the haploid sperm of the father fuses with the haploid egg of the mother