Meiosis Flashcards
why is sexual reproduction important for survival
the varied genes give better chances to individuals for survival
where does meiosis happen
-in cells that will become gametes (not egg or sperm itself)
-spermatocytes and primary oocytes (both produced by mitosis)
how are sperm produced
from spermatocytes via meiosis
how are eggs (secondary oocytes) produced
from primary oocytes via meiosis
meiosis produces cells that
-have half the # of chromosomes found in the original parent cell
-are genetically different from the parent cell and each other
why is the number of chromosomes halved
-to prevent mutations
-to keep number of chromosomes constant between all generations
-or else chromosomes double each generation
what are homologous pairs
-chromosome pair that have the same genes (chromosome one of mom with chromosome one of dad)
-not identical (because of alleles) but similar
what are alleles
alternative versions of a gene
what do alleles control
they control the same character but do not necessarily contain the same genetic info
what is the goal of meiosis
to convert diploid parent cells to haploid sex cells
how does the duration of mitosis compared to the duration of meiosis
mitosis takes around 12-24 hours
meiosis takes over 48 days depending on the species and cell type
what is the process of meiosis
-meiosis I (two daughter cells): prophase l metaphase l anaphase l telophase l cytokinesis
-meiosis II (4 daughter cells): prophase ll metaphase ll anaphase ll telophase ll cytokinesis
what is meiosis preceded by
interphase (same as mitosis)
-46 chromosomes but 92 chromatids
what’s the difference between mitotic prophase and meiosis prophase l
in mitosis the sister chromatids stay together
in meiosis l homologous pairs attach with another homologous pair (2Xs next to each other)
what are two pairs of homologous chromosomes next to each other called
tetrads