Heredity Flashcards
Sexual Reproduction
Reproduction involving two parents, who produce offspring that contain a mix of the parent’s genes and therefore differ from each other and from the parents.
Asexual Reproduction
reproduction involving only one parent and no sex cells or gametes, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to each other and to the parent.
Disadvantages of Sexual Reproduction
Time and energy
Advantages of sexual reproduction
genetic diversity
Advantages of asexual reproduction
Efficient
Population is able to increase in size very quickly
Disadvantages of asexual reproduction
low genetic diversity - higher vulnerability to change
Germination (plants)
seed lands in suitable soil that provides sufficient water, oxygen, and warmth, the embryo begins to grow,
Budding (asexual in organisms)
An adult organism gives rise to a small bud, which separates from the parent and grows into a new individual.
Binary fission (asexual)
A newly divided cell grows to twice its size, replicates its genetic material and then splits into two cells with identical genetic material
Spores (asexual)
unicellular reproductive cells that are produced in great numbers by organisms such as fungi and some plants
Fertilisation (sexual)
Sperm are attracted to the egg by rheotaxis for internal fertilisation.
External fertilisation - advantages
Can have lots at once can keep reproducing without pausing Can give more variation as there's millions of gametes Suited for an aquatic environment Less time and energy from parent
External fertilisation - disadvantages
Chances of gametes meeting are less because they could be in different areas (current moving things in wrong direction).
Exposed to predation, infection - less likely offspring to survive.
No parental care
Internal Fertilisation - advantages
Increased likelihood of fertilisation because they are being fertilised in a small space (Vagina).
Baby is inside the stomach - will be free from external disease such as covid-19 leading to higher survival rate.
Fewer eggs need - important for conserving energy
internal Fertilisation - disadvantages
produce less offspring = less likely chance of species surviving.
Less variation compared to external
Hormones involved in mammalian reproduction
3
- Androgens- male hormones, control development and functioning of male sex organs and secondary sex characteristics.
- Oestrogens- main group of female hormones. Control the development and functioning of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics.
- Progestogens- a second group of female hormones. Progesterone is the most common progestogen and it plays a primary role in pregnancy.
Hormonal control of the female reproductive cycle
3 steps
Endocrine glands regulate and control the ovarian and menstrual cycles, coordinating them to ensure fertility → increase in probability of successful reproduction → continuity of species.
Hormonal Control of the male reproductive cycle
1 step, 3 glands
Spermatogenesis is controlled by hormones → involves interaction of three glands: hypothalamus in the brain, pituitary gland at the base of the brain and Leydig cells in testes.
Mitosis
cell division resulting in two identical daughter cells, with the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent cell
Meiosis
cell division resulting in four daughter cells (gametes), each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell
The role and importance of mitosis
Growth of multicellular organisms
Repair of damaged tissue and replacement of worn-out cells
Asexual reproduction
Genetic stability
The role and importance of meiosis
ensure that each parent contributes only half of his or her chromosomes to the new offspring
ensures that the chromosomes number of each species is maintained (not doubled) during sexual reproduction
why does DNA need to replicate exactly?
allows it to function properly, to its physical features and body size.
so that each resulting daughter cell ends up with its own complete genome.
three ways prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA are SIMILAR:
Prokaryotes and eukaryotes package their DNA molecules with protein in structures called chromosomes
Prokaryotic DNA gene sequences can code for multiple proteins, as well as some Eukaryotic DNA
DNA is double-stranded in both Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic DNA