Exam 3 Study Guide: Animal Reproduction and Development

These flashcards cover key concepts related to animal reproduction and development, as well as the immune system and microorganisms, in preparation for the exam.

Asexual Reproduction

Reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes and includes methods such as fission, budding, fragmentation, and parthenogenesis.

Hermaphroditism

A condition in which an organism has both male and female reproductive organs.

Oviparous

Organisms that lay eggs that develop outside the mother's body, such as chickens.

Spermatogenesis

The process by which sperm are produced from germ cells in the seminiferous tubules.

Oogenesis

The process of egg (ova) formation in females, resulting in one functional ovum from each cycle.

Fertilization

The process of combining sperm and egg (ova) to form a zygote.

Gastrulation

A phase in early embryonic development that leads to the formation of the three primary germ layers: endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm.

Endoderm

The innermost germ layer that develops into organs such as the gastrointestinal tract.

Mesoderm

The middle germ layer that develops into muscles, circulatory system, and other systems.

Ectoderm

The outermost germ layer that develops into the skin and nervous system.

Deuterostomes

A major lineage of animals characterized by the development of the anus from the blastopore.

Prototostomes

A major lineage of animals in which the mouth develops from the blastopore.

Natural Killer Cells (NK Cells)

Non-specific immune cells that are part of the innate immune system and can kill aberrant target cells.

Phagocytosis

The process by which a cell engulfs solid particles to form an internal compartment known as a phagosome.

Cardinal Signs of Inflammation

Redness, swelling, heat, pain, and loss of function that indicate tissue injury.

Antigen-Presenting Cells (APCs)

Cells that process and present antigens to T cells to trigger an immune response.

Toll-like Receptors

Pattern recognition receptors on phagocytic cells that identify and bind to unique bacterial components.

Specific Immunity

The immune response that is tailored against specific pathogens and involves lymphocytes.

Herd Immunity

A form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become immune.

Vaccination

The administration of a vaccine to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen.

RNA virus

A virus that uses RNA as its genetic material and requires viral RNA polymerase for replication.

Peptidoglycan

A polymer that makes up the cell wall of bacteria, providing shape and protection.

Gram-positive bacteria

Bacteria that have a thick peptidoglycan layer and retain the crystal violet dye used in the Gram staining process, appearing blue.

Gram-negative bacteria

Bacteria that have a thin peptidoglycan layer and an outer membrane that contains lipopolysaccharides, appearing red after Gram staining.

Endosymbiotic Theory

The theory that explains the origin of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic organisms by outlining how a symbiotic relationship led to one cell living inside another.

Protozoa

A diverse group of unicellular eukaryotic organisms, often motile and classified by their method of locomotion.