Biology: Chap. 8 Mitosis and Meiosis

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from genetics lecture notes.

Mutations

Random changes in DNA that can be favorable or unfavorable depending on the environment. For individuals, they are generally harmful, causing genetic diseases.

Recombination

The main adaptation living things use to deal with constantly changing DNA, also known as sex.

Diploid (2n)

Having two sets of chromosomes; organisms like humans are this.

Haploid

Having one set of chromosomes; this is what gametes are.

Gamete

A special cell with one of every chromosome (haploid) used for reproduction, such as eggs and sperm.

Zygote

A cell formed when two gametes fuse together, becoming diploid and undergoing mitosis to form a new individual.

Eggs and Sperm

Eggs and sperm that come together to make the zygote, which then develops into a new organism.

Parthenogenically

A form of asexual reproduction where the female spontaneously becomes pregnant and produces diploid offspring that are exact genetic copies of herself (clones).

Fitness

How much of your DNA is in the next generation

Incest

Inbreeding; reproduction with close relatives like one's sister to maximize the amount of shared DNA with offspring.

Homologous Recombination/Crossing Over

The process where homologous chromosomes attach to each other and exchange genetic information, creating a mix of parental DNA in the offspring's chromosomes.

Somatic cells

Cells like liver, lung, and brain cells, which are diploid, containing 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 total) in humans.

Gametes

Reproductive cells (eggs and sperm) that are haploid, containing only 23 chromosomes in humans.

Meiosis

The process where haploid gametes are generated from a diploid cell, involving two rounds of division (meiosis I and meiosis II) to produce four haploid cells.

Tetrads

Clusters where homologous chromosomes attach to each other during prophase I of meiosis, containing four chromatids.

Independent Assortment

The random distribution of chromosomes during meiosis I, where each gamete gets one of each chromosome, leading to genetic diversity.