Term | Definition |
asexual reproduction | a method of reproduction in which all the genes passed on to the offspring come from a single individual or parent |
autosome | chromosome that is not a sex chromosome |
chromosome | a thick, threadlike structure that contains genetic information in the form of DNA |
cell plate | A disc like structure in the plane of the equator of the spindle that separates the two sets of chromosomes during cytokinesis; also involved in the formation of cell wall between the two daughter cells following cell division. |
cytokinesis | division of the cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells |
cancer | disorder in which some of the body's cells lose the ability to control growth |
chromatid | one of two identical "sister" parts of a duplicated chromosome |
chromatin | substance found in eukaryotic chromosomes that consists of DNA tightly coiled around histones |
cell cycle | series of events in which a cell grows, prepares for division, and divides to form two daughter cells |
diploid | term used to refer to a cell that contains two sets of homologous chromosomes |
gamete | an egg or sperm cell; a sex cell |
gene | a segment of DNA (on a chromosome) that contains the code for a specific trait |
haploid | term used to refer to a cell that contains only a single set of genes |
homologous | term used to refer to chromosomes in which one set comes from the male parent and one set comes from the female parent |
karyotype | micrograph of the complete diploid set of chromosomes grouped together in pairs, arranged in order of decreasing size |
sexual reproduction | a method of reproduction that involves two parents to produce offspring that are genetically different from either parent |
spindle | A collection of minute fibers composed of microtubules, which are prominent during cell division, as mitotic spindle or mitotic apparatus''. |
zygote | the cell that results from the joining of the egg and the sperm |
centrioles | structure in an animal cell that helps to organize cell division |
interphase | period of the cell cycle between cell divisions |
prophase | first and longest phase of mitosis in which the genetic material inside the nucleus condenses and the chromosomes become visible |
metaphase | phase of mitosis in which the chromosomes line up across the center of the cell |
anaphase | phase of mitosis in which the chromosomes separate and move to opposite ends of the cell |
telophase | phase of mitosis in which the distinct individual chromosomes begin to spread out into a tangle of chromatin |
binary fission | type of asexual reproduction in which an organism replicates its DNA and divides in half, producing two identical daughter cells |
budding | The formation of an outgrowth from an organism, and is capable of developing into a new individual; gemmation. |
regeneration | the natural renewal of a structure, as of a lost tissue or a part |
vegetative propogation | method of asexual reproduction in plants, which enables a single plant to produce offspring that are genetically identical to itself |
mitosis | the process that divides the cell's nucleus into two, each with a complete set of genetic material from the parent cell |