The Nature of Heredity Flashcards
1
Q
Cell division
A
- Crucial for reproduction and growth
- Multicellular organisms like humans use it to repair and grow
- Unicellular organisms use it for reproduction
- When cells divide they pass on genetic information through chromosomes
2
Q
What is Heredity?
A
The passing of traits from parents to offspring
3
Q
What are genetics?
A
The branch of biology dealing with heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
4
Q
What chromosomes looks like
A
- Made of molecules with genetic information called DNA
- Each DNA has chemical subunits that give chemical instructions to the cell
- Occur in sequences called genes
- Each gene defines a trait of the organism
- Each gene occupies a specific location of the gene called a locus
5
Q
Chromosomes
A
- Each species has a varied number of chromosomes
- Humans have 46, 23 from mom and dad
- In most organisms chromosomes come in pairs called diploid
- Three of more sets a polyploids
6
Q
Asexual Reproduction
A
- Form of reproduction in which a new individual is produced from a single parent cell by cell division
- Genetically identical offspring: when the parent cell duplicates itself and splits into two identical cells
7
Q
Asexual Reproduction Pros
A
parents don’t need to seek a mate to divide, no specialized mating behaviours, no energy wasted!
8
Q
Asexual Reproduction Cons
A
If were all genetically the same, one disaster/ virus could wipe out an entire species
9
Q
Sexual Reproduction
A
- production of offspring from the fusion of two sex cells; genetic makeup of offspring is different of that from either parent
- Get ½ the info from both parents!
10
Q
Sexual Reproduction Cons
A
-have to find a mate
-need proper sex organs for this to occur
-offspring may inherit poor traits, can become weak and die
