Chapter 4: Genetic Processes

Question 1

genetics

Answer 1

the study of hereditary and variation of living organisms and how genetic information in passed on from one generation to the next

Question 2

somatic cells

Answer 2

a plant of animal cell that forms the body of the organism, excludes reproductive cells

Question 3

chromosome

Answer 3

a structure in the nucleus that contains DNA

Question 4

sister chromatid

Answer 4

one of two chromosomes that are genetically identical and are held together at the centromere

Question 5

spindle fibre

Answer 5

a microtubule structure that facilitates the movement of chromosomes within a cell

Question 6

centrosome

Answer 6

a structure that helps form the spindle fibres

Question 7

genome

Answer 7

the complete DNA sequence of an organism

Question 8

homologous chromosome

Answer 8

a chromosome that contains the same sequence of genes as another chromosome

Question 9

gene

Answer 9

a part of a chromosome that governs the expression of a trait and is passed on to offspring; it has a specific DNA sequence

Question 10

allele

Answer 10

a different form of the same gene

Question 11

karyotype

Answer 11

a photograph of pairs of homologous chromosomes in a cell

Question 12

sex chromosome

Answer 12

an X or Y chromosome that determines the genetic sex of an organism

Question 13

autosome

Answer 13

a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome

Question 14

asexual reproduction

Answer 14

requires only one parent, produces genetically identical offspring

Question 15

sexual reproduction

Answer 15

reproduction that requires two parents and produces genetically distinct offspring

Question 16

gamete

Answer 16

a male of female reproductive cell

Question 17

zygote

Answer 17

a cell formed by the fusion of two gametes

Question 18

fertilization

Answer 18

the joining of male and female gametes

Question 19

haploid

Answer 19

a cell that contains half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell

Question 20

diploid

Answer 20

a cell that contains pairs of homologous chromosomes

Question 21

meiosis

Answer 21

the cellular process that produces cells containing half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell

Question 22

synapsis

Answer 22

the aligning of homologous chromosomes during Prophase I in meiosis

Question 23

soermatogenesis

Answer 23

the process of producing male gametes in mammals

Question 24

oogenesis

Answer 24

the process of producing female gametes in mammals

Question 25

crossing over

Answer 25

the exchange of chromosomal segments between a pair of homologous chromosomes

Question 26

non-disjunction

Answer 26

the failure of homologous chromosome pairs of sister chromatids to separate during meiosis

Question 27

monosomy

Answer 27

loss of a chromosome as a result of non-disjunction

Question 28

trisomy

Answer 28

gain of a chromosome as a result of non-disjunction

Question 29

selective breeding

Answer 29

the process of breeding plants and animals for desirable traits

Question 30

artificial insemination

Answer 30

the process in which sperm is collected and concentrated before being introduced in the female reproductive system

Question 31

embryo transfer

Answer 31

the process in which an egg that has been fertilized artificially is transferred into a recipient females' uterus

Question 32

in vitro fertilisation

Answer 32

the process used to fertilize egg cells outside the female's body

Question 33

cloning

Answer 33

a process that produces identical copies of genes, cells, or organisms

Question 34

gene cloning

Answer 34

the use of DNA manipulation techniques to produce multiple copies of a single gene or segment of DNA

Question 35

recombinant DNA

Answer 35

a molecule of DNA that includes genetic material from different sources

Question 36

therapeutic cloning

Answer 36

the process of replacing an egg cell's nucleus with a nucleus of a somatic donor cell to produce a cell line of genetically identical cells

Question 37

reproductive cloning

Answer 37

the process of producing genetically identical organisms

Question 38

stem cell

Answer 38

an undifferentiated cell that can develop and become specialized into different cell types in the body