The Cellular Basis of Inheritance

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the cellular basis of inheritance, including definitions and stages of meiosis, mitosis, and life cycles of organisms.

Fertilization

The union of two haploid cells from different organisms.

Zygotic meiosis life-cycle

A life cycle that contains a unicellular haploid stage.

Mitosis

A type of cell division that produces 2 daughter cells with the same ploidy as the parent cell, maintaining chromosome number.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces 4 daughter cells with half the ploidy of the parent cell, reducing chromosome number by half.

Haploid cells

The type of cells produced during meiosis.

Homologous chromosomes

Pairs of chromosomes with the same genes, one from each parent.

DNA replication

Occurs during interphase before meiosis I.

Nondisjunction

The failure of synapsed homologs to separate during meiosis.

Anaphase I

Phase where homologous chromosomes separate.

Anaphase II

Phase where sister chromatids separate.

S phase

The phase of the cell cycle during which DNA is replicated.

Kinetochore

The structure where spindle fiber microtubules attach on the sister chromatids.

Chiasma

The crossover point of non-sister chromatids during crossing over.

Somatic cells

Non-sex cells.

Prometaphase 1 and Prometaphase 2

The phases during which spindle microtubules attach to kinetochores.

Genome

The complete set of genetic material present in a cell or organism.

Alternation of Generations

A life cycle in plants and algae that have distinct sexual haploid and asexual diploid phases.

Fungi life cycle

The dominant stage in the life cycle of fungi is the haploid stage.