Reproduction and Inheritance - GCSE Flashcards
where are chromosomes found?
in the nucleus of a cell
what does the nucleus contain 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 are human cells?
they are diploid. Meaning they have two copies of each chromosome arranged in pairs
how many chromosomes does a human cell nucleus contain?
- This means the diploid number for a human is 23
what is DNA?
it is a long list of instructions of how to put an organism together and make it work
what does all of the DNA in an organism make up?
the organism’s genome (a complete set of information in a organism)
what is a gene (in a DNA molecule)?
it is a chemical instruction that codes for saying how to make a particular protein
why are proteins important?
because they control most processes in the body. They also determine inherited characteristics (eg. eye colour)
why do genes end up controlling our inherited characteristcs?
because they control the production of proteins, and therefore they control inherited characteristics as well
what is the name for different versions of the same gene?
alleles
what do alleles (different versions of the same gene) give?
they give different versions of a characteristic
how can an ordinary cell make a new cell?
it can make a simple cell by simply dividing into two. Both new cells are genetically identical to the original cell and both contain exactly the same genetic information
what is it called when an ordinary cell makes up new cells?
mitosis
what is asexual reproduction?
it is when it only involves one parent, the offspring has identical genes to the parent (there is no variation between the parent and the offspring)
what is it called when some organisms produce offspring using mitosis?
asexual reproduction (only one parent)
what does mitosis produce?
genetical identical cells (when a cell reproduces itself by splitting to form two cells with identical sets of chromosomes)
what happens when a cell gets a signal to divide?
there are 4 steps
1) it needs to duplicate its DNA so that there’s on copy for each new cell. The DNA forms X-shaped chromosomes, each arm of the chromosome is an exact duplicate of the other
2) the chromosomes lines up at the centre of the cell and cell fibres pull them apart. The two arms of each chromosome go to opposite ends of the cell
3) membrane form around each of the sets of chromosomes. These become the nuclei of the two new cell
4) lastly, the cytoplasm divides
what does sexual reproduction produce?
genetically different cells
what is sexual reproduction?
it is where information from two organisms (a father and a mother) is combined to produce offspring which are genetically different to either parent
what does sexual reproduction involve?
it involves gametes
what are gametes?
the sperm cells and egg cells. They are haploid as well.
what does haploid mean?
it means half the number of chromosomes in a normal cell
what is the haploid number for humans?
23, because each gamete contains 23 chromosomes.
46 chromosomes/2 = 23
what happens at fertilisation?
a male gamete fuses with a female gamete to form a zygote. The zygote ends up with the full set of chromosomes (46 chromosomes)
what is a zygote?
a fertilised egg
what causes a zygote to be developed into an embryo?
the zygote undergoes cell division (by mitosis) and develops into an embryo
how does the embryo inherits features from both parents?
it receives a mixture of chromosomes from its mom and dad
what is the order for the fertilisation of gametes?
it is random. This produces genetic variation in the offspring
what are gametes produced by?
meiosis
what is a meiosis?
type of cell division
- produces 4 daughter cells
- offspring are different to parents
why is meiosis different to mitosis?
because it doesn’t produce identical cells
where does meiosis happens in humans?
it only happens in the reproductive organs (ovaries and testes)
what do meiosis produce?
it produces four haploid cells whose chromosomes are not identical
how many divisions does meiosis involve?
2
what is the first part of the division of meiosis?
there are 4 steps
1) before the cell starts to divide it duplicates its DNA. One arm of each X-shaped chromosome is an exact copy of the other arm
2) in the first division in meiosis the chromosome lines up in pairs in the centre of the cell. One chromosome in each pair came from the organism’s mother and one came from its father
3) the pairs are then pulled apart, so each new cell only has one copy of each chromosome. Some of the father’s chromosomes and some of the mother’s go into each new cell
4) each new cell will have a mixture of the mother’s and father’s chromosome. Mixing up the genes like this is really important because it creates genetic variation in the offspring
what is the second part of the division of meiosis?
2 steps
5) chromosomes line up again in the centre of the cell. The arm of the chromosomes are pulled apart
6) you get four haploid gametes. Each gamete only has a single set of chromosomes. The gametes are all genetically different.
what gametes do flowers contain?
male and female gametes
what is the name of the male reproductive part of a flower?
the stamen
what are the 2 things that the stamen consists?
- anther
- filament
what does the anther contain?
pollen grains, which produce the male gametes (sperm)
what is the filament?
the stalk that supports the anther
what is the name of the female reproductive part of a flower?
the carpel
what are the 3 things the carpel consist of?
- ovary
- style
- stigma
what is the stigma?
it is the end bit that the pollen grains attach to
what is the style?
it is the rod-like section that supports the stigma
what does the ovary contain?
the ovary contains the female gametes (eggs) inside the ovules
what does sexual reproduction in plants involve?
it involves pollination
what is pollination? and why does it happen?
the transfer of pollen from an anther to a stigma. It is so that the male gametes can fertilise the female gametes in sexual reproduction
what is cross-pollination?
it is a type of sexual reproduction where pollen is transferred from the anther of one plant to the stigma of another
what do plants that cross-pollinate rely on?
they rely on things like insects or the wind to help them pollinate
what is it called when plants need outside help to pollinate?
insect pollination
what are 4 different ways that plants are adapted for pollination by insects?
1) brightly coloured petals
2) scented flowers and nectaries (glands that secrete nectar)
3) make big sticky pollen grains and thee grains stick to insects as they go from plant to plant
4) the stigma is sticky so that any pollen picked up by insects on other plants will stick to the stigma
other than insect pollination, what is another way for plant pollination?
pollination by wind
what are 5 ways in which plants are adapted for plant pollination?
1) small, dull petals on the flower
2) no nectaries or strong scents
3) a lot of pollen grains, they are small and light so that they can easily be carried by wind
4) long filaments that hang the anthers outside the flower so that a lot of the pollen gets blown away by the wind
5) a large feathery stigma to catch pollen as it’s carried past by the wind. The stigma often hangs outside the flower too
what happens after the pollen has found its way to the stigma?
fertilisation