Life Cycle Lingo
These reproductive cells, such as eggs and sperm, contain only one set of chromosomes (n).
This process occurs early in Prophase I, where homologous chromosomes become closely associated along their entire length.
The final result of a single round of meiosis is this many haploid daughter cells.
In Meiosis I, kinetochores of sister chromatids attach to this, whereas in mitosis, they attach to opposite poles.
The failure of chromosomes to move to opposite poles during either meiotic division.
The process by which a haploid sperm and a haploid egg fuse to form a diploid zygote.
These are the physical sites where crossing over occurs between non-sister chromatids.
This meiotic division most closely resembles a standard mitotic division.
This protein protects cohesin from being cleaved at the centromere during Meiosis I, keeping sister chromatids together.
Gametes that result from nondisjunction and contain missing or extra chromosomes.
These are the nonreproductive cells of adults, carrying two sets of chromosomes (2n).
This structural complex of proteins forms between homologous chromosomes during synapsis.
During this specific stage of Meiosis II, sister chromatids are finally separated from each other and pulled to opposite poles.
A key distinction in Anaphase I is that these move to opposite poles, while sister chromatids remain joined at their centromeres.
In humans, aneuploidy resulting from meiotic errors is the most common cause of this.
In animals, these specific diploid cells are set aside early in development to eventually undergo meiosis.
Meiosis I is often referred to by this term because it results in daughter cells that contain only one homologue from each chromosome pair.
Unlike the period before Meiosis I, this phase is notably absent or suppressed between the two meiotic divisions.
The complete loss of this protein between mitotic divisions is required for DNA replication, but its maintenance between meiotic divisions suppresses it.
Nondisjunction during meiosis can result in gametes with an extra copy of this chromosome, leading to Down syndrome.
If a gorilla's somatic cells contain 48 chromosomes, this is the number of chromosomes that will be found in its gametes.
During Metaphase I, the placement of homologous chromosome pairs on the spindle is described as this, leading to genetic diversity.
In plants, fungi, and many protists, the haploid cells produced by meiosis do this instead of immediately becoming gametes.
Because of random orientation and crossing over, meiosis produces cells that are described as this, unlike mitosis.
Meiosis is a critical source of this, which is considered essential for the process of evolution.