Inheritance, Variation and evolution

• What is meiosis?

  Meiosis is the formation of four non-identical cells from one cell.
• What is mitosis?

  Mitosis is the formation of two identical cells from one cell.
• What does sexual reproduction involve?

  Sexual reproduction involves the joining of male and female gametes.
• What are the gametes in animals?

  Sperm and egg cells.
• What are the gametes in flowering plants?

  Pollen and egg cells.
• How are gametes formed?

  Gametes are formed by meiosis.
• How many chromosomes does a normal cell have?

  A normal cell has 46 chromosomes.
• How many chromosomes does each gamete have?

  Each gamete has 23 chromosomes.
• What happens during fertilization?

  Gametes fuse to produce a cell with 46 chromosomes.
• What is the result of mixing genetic information from parents?

  It produces variation in the offspring.
• What does asexual reproduction involve?

  Asexual reproduction involves one parent with no gametes joining.
• How are cells formed in asexual reproduction?

  Cells are formed by mitosis, producing two identical cells from one cell.
• What is the outcome of asexual reproduction?

  It leads to clones that are genetically identical to each other and the parent.
• Name an example of an organism that reproduces asexually.

  Bacteria.
• What is the process of meiosis in gamete formation?

  Meiosis forms gametes with one copy of each chromosome.
• What happens to the chromosomes during meiosis?

  The chromosomes are shuffled, resulting in random chromosomes in each of the four cells.
• What is the normal number of chromosomes in a fertilized cell?

  The normal number is 46 chromosomes.
• What happens after fertilization?

  The fertilized cell divides by mitosis to produce many copies.
• What is differentiation in embryonic development?

  Cells begin to take on different roles after the stage of mitosis.
• What are the advantages of sexual reproduction?

  • Produces variation in offspring
  • Increases survival advantage in changing environments
  • Decreases chance of extinction for the species
  • Allows for selective breeding
• What are the advantages of asexual reproduction?

  • Only one parent is needed
  • Uses less energy and is faster
  • Can produce many identical offspring in favorable conditions
• How do malarial parasites reproduce?

  Malarial parasites reproduce sexually in mosquitoes and asexually in humans.
• How do some fungi reproduce?

  Some fungi can reproduce both sexually and asexually by releasing spores.
• What is pollination in plants?

  Pollination is when pollen reaches the egg cells in the female parts of another flower.
• How do strawberry plants reproduce asexually?

  Strawberry plants produce runners that grow new identical plants.
• How do daffodils reproduce asexually?

  Daffodils grow from bulbs, producing new identical plants.
• What is DNA?

  DNA is a polymer made up of two strands that form a double helix.
• What is a gene?

  A gene is a small section of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific protein.
• What is the genome?

  The genome is all the genes coding for all of the proteins within an organism.
• How has studying the human genome improved our understanding of diseases?

  It has improved our understanding of genes linked to diseases and treatments.
• What is the structure of DNA?

  DNA is made up of nucleotides, each containing a sugar, phosphate, and a base.
• What are the four types of organic bases in DNA?

  The four types are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).
• What is complementary base pairing?

  A bases connect to T bases, and C bases connect to G bases.
• What does the order of bases in DNA determine?

  The order of bases determines the sequence of amino acids in a protein.
• How many types of amino acids are there?

  There are 20 types of amino acids.
• What are non-coding parts of DNA responsible for?

  They control whether genes are expressed or not.
• What is protein synthesis?

  1. DNA contains the genetic code for making a protein.
  2. mRNA is created from the DNA template.
  3. mRNA moves to ribosomes.
  4. Ribosomes read mRNA in threes to code for amino acids.
  5. Amino acids are brought to ribosomes and connect to form a protein.
  6. The protein folds into a unique 3D structure.
• What are the roles of proteins?

  Proteins can be enzymes, hormones, or structural proteins.
• What is a mutation?

  A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases in DNA.
• What are the types of mutations?

  Insertions, deletions, and substitutions.