BIO152H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Multicellular Organism, Heredity, Meiosis
Document Summary
Offspring acquire genes from parents by inheriting chromosomes. Fertilization and meiosis alternate in sexual life cycles. Meiosis reduces the number of chromosome sets from diploid to haploid. Genetic variation produced in sexual life cycles contributes to evolution. Living organisms are distinguished by their ability to reproduce their own kind. Genetics is the scientific study of heredity and variation. Heredity is the transmission of traits from one generation to the next. Variation is demonstrated by differences in appearance that offspring show from parents and siblings. Concept 13. 1: offspring acquire genes from parents by inheriting chromosomes. In a literal sense, children do not inherit particular physical traits from their parents. It is genes that are actually inherited. Genes are units of heredity, and are made of dna. Genes are passed to the next generation via reproductive cells called gametes (sperm and eggs) Each gene has a specific chromosomal location or locus.
