Eukaryotic Life Cycles Vocabulary

Flashcards about Eukaryotic Life Cycles

Asexual Reproduction

Reproduction through mitosis, making genetically identical copies.

Sexual Reproduction

Gametes fuse together to produce a zygote.

Vegetative (Budding)

Growing a copy of the parent organism.

Parthenogenesis

Producing eggs asexually that are exact copies of the mother's genes.

External Fertilization

Fertilization occurs outside the animal, common in animals that cannot move around (requires water environment)

Internal Fertilization

Fertilization occurs inside the body of the female (by insemination/mating), some aquatic spp. but all terrestrial spp.

Isogamy

"Equal gametes"

Anisogamy

Gametes are different in morphology.

Monoecious

Both ovaries and testes occur in the same individual.

Simultaneous Hermaphrodites

Organisms contain both ovaries and testes, make both eggs and sperm, can fertilize each other.

Sequential Hermaphrodites

Start out as one sex then transition to the other sex later.

Dioecious

Organisms have either male or female reproductive organs

Diplontic

Diploid dominant, multicellular. Only eggs/sperm are haploid (most animals)

Haplontic

Haploid dominant, multicellular. Only zygote is diploid (most fungi, some others)

Alternation of Generations

Multicellular haploid and diploid stages (plants, some others)

Cryptobiosis

Adults can dry up and go dormant

Conjugation

Sexual process that produces genetic variation when two cells exchange haploid micronuclei (NOTE: no reproduction of new cells/”offspring”!)

Micronucleus

Involved in reproduction

Macronucleus

Non-reproductive functions (metabolism and protein synthesis)