Unit 9- Vocabulary Flashcards
cell division
the process by which a parent cell divides into two daughter cells.
ratio of surface area to volume
the size of the outer edge (surface area) of the cell divided by the amount of space inside (volume)
asexual reproduction
only one organism is needed and it makes an exact carbon copy
cloning
a technique scientists use to make exact genetic copies of living things
chromosome
a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.
chromatin
the material of which the chromosomes of organisms other than bacteria (i.e., eukaryotes) are composed. It consists of protein, RNA, and DNA.
cell cycle
a series of events that takes place in a cell as it grows and divides.
interphase
the resting phase between successive mitotic divisions of a cell, or between the first and second divisions of meiosis.
mitosis
a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.
cytokinesis
the cytoplasmic division of a cell at the end of mitosis or meiosis, bringing about the separation into two daughter cells.
prophase
the first stage of cell division, before metaphase, during which the chromosomes become visible as paired chromatids and the nuclear envelope disappears. The first prophase of meiosis includes the reduction division.
centromere
the region of a chromosome to which the microtubules of the spindle attach, via the kinetochore, during cell division.
chromatid
each of the two threadlike strands into which a chromosome divides longitudinally during cell division. Each contains a double helix of DNA.
centriole
a minute cylindrical organelle near the nucleus in animal cells, occurring in pairs and involved in the development of spindle fibers in cell division.
metaphase
the second stage of cell division, between prophase and anaphase, during which the chromosomes become attached to the spindle fibers.