Biology Ch 10 & 11 Voacabulary

Fertilization is the process in which the male and female gametes fuse together to form a zygote. This process is essential for sexual reproduction and the formation of offspring. Meiosis is the process of cell division that produces gametes, genetic recombination is the exchange of genetic material during meiosis, and polyploidy refers to having more than two complete sets of chromosomes. While these processes are related to reproduction, they do not specifically involve the fusion of gametes, making fertilization the correct answer.

Crossing over is the process during which chromosomal segments are exchanged between a pair of homologous chromosomes. This occurs during meiosis, specifically in the prophase I stage. It is an essential mechanism for genetic recombination, as it leads to the creation of new combinations of alleles on the chromosomes. This process contributes to genetic diversity and ensures that offspring inherit a unique combination of genetic material from their parents. The law of independent assortment refers to the random distribution of homologous chromosomes during meiosis, while genetic recombination is a broader term that encompasses various processes that result in new combinations of genetic material.

A gene is a segment of DNA that controls the production of proteins and regulates the cell cycle. It contains the instructions for creating specific proteins, which are essential for various cellular functions. Genes play a crucial role in determining an organism's traits and characteristics, as they influence the phenotype (observable traits) through protein production. Therefore, the correct answer is gene.

Gametes are sex cells that have half the number of chromosomes compared to other cells in the body. During sexual reproduction, two gametes (sperm and egg) combine to form a new organism with a complete set of chromosomes. This process ensures that the offspring receives genetic material from both parents and results in genetic variation. Genes, alleles, and genotypes are all related to genetic information, but they do not specifically refer to cells with half the number of chromosomes like gametes do.

A cell with two of each kind of chromosome is said to contain a diploid, or 2n, number of chromosomes. This means that the cell has a complete set of chromosomes, with two copies of each chromosome. In humans, for example, diploid cells have 46 chromosomes, with 23 pairs of chromosomes. This is in contrast to haploid cells, which only have one copy of each chromosome, and gametes, which are haploid cells that are involved in sexual reproduction. The term "allele" refers to different forms of a gene that can exist at a specific location on a chromosome.