Topic 6 - Meiosis

Question 1

How are gametes made?

Answer 1

Gametes are made by cells dividing by meiosis, a process involving two divisions

Question 2

After meiosis you end up with ___ gametes, each of which is genetically different from the others as ___

Answer 2

Four, the chromosomes all get shuffled up during meiosis and each gamete only gets half in total

Question 3

Give the steps of meiosis

Answer 3

1) Before the cell starts to divide it duplicates its genetic information, forming two armed chromosomes - each arm an exact copy if the other
2) These arrange themselves into pairs
3) In the first division the chromosome pairs line up at the centre of the cell
4) They are pulled appart so each new cell has one copy only of each chromosome
5) In the second division they line up again and the arms of each are pulled appart

Question 4

What happens after two gametes have been fused together during fertilisation?

Answer 4

The resulting cell divides by mitosis to make a copy of itself. This repeats many times to produce lots of new cells in an embryo.