Protist and Prokaryote Reproduction Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering protist and prokaryote cellular reproduction, mitosis, meiosis, and genetic transfer mechanisms based on the lecture notes.

Diploid

Having two copies of each chromosome, represented by the abbreviation 2n.

Mitosis

A process of simple cell division that produces two daughter cells that are diploid and genetically identical to the parent cell.

Diatom

A photosynthetic protist with a glass cell wall made of two halves that produces about half of the oxygen we breathe.

Valves

The upper half and lower half sections that form the glass cell wall of a diatom.

Zygote

The first cell of an organism formed by the fusion of two gametes during sexual reproduction.

Meiosis

A reduction division process that produces haploid gametes containing half the original number of chromosomes.

Haploid

Having one copy of each homologous chromosome or chromosome type.

Selfing

A form of sexual reproduction in which hermaphroditic organisms fertilize themselves.

Crossing over

A process during meiosis that increases genetic diversity in offspring by recombining chromosome segments.

Cyanobacteria

Autotrophic prokaryotes that are also known as blue green algae.

Conjugation

A process in prokaryotes where two cells join together to transfer a portion of DNA from a donor cell into a recipient cell, resulting in genetic recombination.

Binary fission

The asexual reproduction process by which prokaryotes produce genetically identical copies of themselves.