BIO 114 Lecture 15: LECTURE 15 - STUDENT NOTES (1)
Document Summary
One of the main differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is that most eukaryotes undergo sexual reproduction. This involves a regular alternation between meiosis (gamete formation) and syngamy (fertilization). Diploid organisms have two sets of chromosomes, one derived from each parent. Meiosis is the process of division in which the chromosome number is reduced from the diploid number (2n) to the haploid number (n). During meiosis, the nucleus of a diploid cell undergoes two divisions. These result in the production of 4 daughter cells (gametes), each containing 1/2 the number of chromosomes of the original cell. Fertilization is the process by which the two gametes fuse to form a diploid zygote. Interphase - the chromosomes are replicated, thus, each consists of two identical chromatids held together at the centromere. Meiosis consists of two successive nuclear divisions, designated meiosis i and meiosis. In meiosis i, homologous chromosomes separate; in meiosis ii, the chromatids separate.
