Cell Cycle
What phase of the cell cycle does the cell spend most of its time in?
Interphase
What is the purpose of mitosis?
To produce identical somatic (body) cells
Name ONE event in meiosis that creates genetic variation.
Crossing over or independent assortment.
Who is the "father of modern genetics"? (full name!)
Gregor Mendel
What type of inheritance shows both traits equally in heterozygotes?
Codominance.
In which phase of interphase is DNA replicated?
S Phase
How many daughter cells are produced in meiosis?
Four
What is random fertilization?
The random union of any sperm with any egg.
What tool is used to predict the outcome of a genetic cross?
Punnett square
What is an example of multiple alleles in humans?
Blood type.
What is the role of tumor suppressor genes like p53 in the cell cycle?
Halt cell division when DNA is damaged
During which stage of meiosis do homologous chromosomes separate?
Anaphase I
When does crossing over occur in meiosis?
Prophase I.
In a monohybrid cross of two heterozygotes, what is the phenotypic ratio?
3:1
What is epistasis?
When one gene masks or alters the expression of another gene.
What happens at the G1 checkpoint?
Cell checks for DNA damage and decides whether to divide
What are the outcomes of mitosis and meiosis ?
Mitosis produces 2 identical diploid cells; meiosis produces 4 unique haploid cells.
Define nondisjunction.
Failure of chromosomes to separate properly during meiosis.
What does Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment state?
Genes on different chromosomes are inherited independently
What is epigenetics?
The study of gene expression changes that do NOT involve altering DNA sequences.
Compare binary fission and mitosis
Binary fission occurs in prokaryotes without a nucleus or spindle, while mitosis occurs in eukaryotes with complex steps.
Why is meiosis essential for sexual reproduction?
It halves the chromosome number so it can be restored during fertilization.
A species of plant typically self-pollinates, but researchers introduce cross-pollination between genetically diverse individuals. What long-term effect is most likely to occur in the population’s gene pool?
An increase in genetic variation and a greater capacity to adapt to environmental changes.
A test cross is used to determine what?
The genotype of an organism showing a dominant trait.
In a dihybrid cross, two genes do not assort independently and are inherited together more frequently than expected. What does this suggest about the genes' location?
The genes are linked and located close together on the same chromosome.