Cell Biology Quiz: Mitosis and Meiosis

A type of cell division where a parent cell divides into two identical daughter cells.

The stage of mitosis where the chromosomes condense and become visible, the nuclear membrane breaks down, and the spindle fibers start to form.

The stage of mitosis where the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell, attached to the spindle fibers.

The stage of mitosis where the sister chromatids of each chromosome are pulled apart and move toward opposite poles of the cell.

The stage of mitosis where the new nuclear membranes form around the separated chromosomes, essentially creating two new nuclei.

A type of cell division that results in four daughter cells, each with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.

The first stage of meiosis where homologous chromosomes pair up and exchange genetic material.

The stage of meiosis where the homologous chromosome pairs line up in the middle of the cell.

The process of creating new genes by duplication followed by changes in the sequence over time.

A group of genes with related functions, typically resulting from multiple rounds of duplication and divergence.

Differences among individuals in the number of copies of a region of the genome.

A region along a DNA molecule where many identical copies of a short sequence of nucleotides are adjacent to each other.

The analysis of a small quantity of DNA to uniquely identify an individual.

The reversal of the normal order of a block of genes within a chromosome.

An exchange of parts between nonhomologous chromosomes.

The number of copies of a particular gene present in an individual.

The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during meiosis I, resulting in new combinations of alleles.

The points where non-sister chromatids of homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material during crossing over.

The random arrangement of homologous chromosome pairs at the metaphase plate during meiosis I. Each pair has an equal chance of aligning on either side of the spindle.

The second stage of meiosis, where sister chromatids are separated, resulting in four haploid daughter cells, each containing one copy of each chromosome.

A change in the DNA sequence that can be harmful, neutral, or beneficial, depending on its effect on the organism's survival and reproduction.

A mutation that reduces the survival or reproduction of the individual carrying it, often eliminated within a few generations.

A mutation that has no effect on the organism's survival or reproduction.

A mutation that increases the survival or reproduction of the individual carrying it.

The effect of a mutation can vary depending on the presence of other mutations in the same genome. For example, a mutation might be harmful when homozygous but beneficial when heterozygous.

The effect of a mutation can vary depending on the environment the organism lives in. For example, a mutation might be beneficial in one environment but harmful in another.

The interbreeding of two different varieties or species of an organism.

A trait that consistently appears in the same physical form across generations due to homozygous alleles.

The transfer of information from one generation to the next through learning or imitation.

The proportion of variation in a trait within a population that is due to genetic differences.

A trait with a heritability of 100% means that variation in the trait is entirely caused by genetic differences, ignoring environmental factors.

A trait with a heritability of 0% means that variation in the trait is solely due to environmental differences, ignoring genetic factors.

Heritability applies only to a specific population and across the range of environments they experience at a given time.

The process of selecting specific individuals for breeding based on desired traits, leading to changes in the population over time.

Heritability determines how quickly a population can change through artificial selection, with higher heritability leading to faster responses.

The mean phenotype of offspring will be equal to the mean of the whole population, regardless of parental phenotypes, assuming no environmental influences carry over to the next generation.

A trait with high heritability responds rapidly to selection, whereas a trait with a low heritability responds slowly or not at all.

Many genes, each with a relatively small effect, contribute to the most common medical conditions and birth anomalies.

A single gene can have multiple effects on seemingly unrelated traits.

Multiple genes interact within a pathway to influence a trait.

The effects of individual genes on complex traits are typically quite small.

Analysis identified 697 genes affecting human height, many of which do not have any obvious connection to the biology of growth.

Different individuals can have the same medical condition for different reasons, highlighting the importance of personalized medicine.