Life Cycles and Algal Diversity

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to life cycles and classifications in biology, focusing on algal diversity and reproductive processes.

Life Cycle Types

The three major types of life cycles are gametic meiosis, zygotic meiosis, and sporic meiosis.

Gametic Meiosis

A life cycle where the only diploid stage is the zygote which undergoes meiosis to produce haploid gametes.

Zygotic Meiosis

A life cycle where the zygote undergoes meiosis immediately to produce haploid cells.

Sporic Meiosis

A life cycle that alternates between multicellular diploid sporophyte and multicellular haploid gametophyte stages.

Cladogram

A diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics.

Primary Endosymbiosis

An evolutionary event in which a eukaryotic cell engulfs a photosynthetic prokaryote, leading to the formation of chloroplasts.

Clade Stramenopiles

A group of algae that includes brown algae such as Phaeophyta, characterized by the presence of flagella.

Fucoxanthin

A brown pigment found in brown algae that acts as a photosynthetic accessory pigment.

Phycobilins

Accessory pigments found in some algal species, important for capturing light energy.

Agar

A gelatinous substance derived from red algae, used as a thickening agent in food and as a culture medium in microbiology.

Carrageenan

A thickening agent derived from red algae, commonly used in food products.

Zygote

A diploid cell that results from the fertilization of gametes and is the initial cell of a diploid organism.

Spores

Reproductive cells that can develop into a new organism without fusion with another reproductive cell.

Haploid (n)

A cell or organism having a single set of chromosomes, characteristic of gametes.

Diploid (2n)

A cell or organism containing two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.

Multicellular Diploid Adults

Organisms like plants and animals that develop from diploid zygotes and undergo mitosis to form the adult form.

Eukarya

A domain of life that includes all organisms with complex cells, including animals, plants, fungi, and protists.