AP Biology Study Guide Chapters 12 – 15 Cell Cycle, Cell Division, Genetics
Chapter 12: The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
1. Cell division in prokaryotes (they do not have mitosis)
2. Divisions of the cell cycle and what occurs in each phase; amount of DNA through the cycle, control checkpoints and
regulation of the cycle, including the function of CDK’s and cyclin, how cancer affects the cell cycle
3. Homologous chromosomes, chromatids, chromatin, centromeres, haploid vs. diploid cells; haploid cells in fungi
4. Mitosis – biological importance of, outcome in terms of number of cells, chromosome number, DNA content, genetic
sameness. You do not have to recognize individual stages; more important to understand relevance.
5. Difference in plant and animal mitosis
6. Sexual vs. asexual reproduction
Chapter 13: Meiosis
1. Purpose of meiosis in sexually reproducing organisms
2. Overall differences in Meiosis I and Meiosis II in terms of chromosome number, number of cells, number of chromatids
per chromosome, amount of DNA
3. Unique features of meiosis – tetrad formation in synapsis, crossing-over, independent assortment of chromosomes; how
meiosis contributes to genetic variation.
4. Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis in outcomes; number of cells produced; chromosome number result, genetic
variability.
Chapters 14 and 15: Genetics
It is important that you can work genetics problems quickly. Memorize your ratios.
1. Know Mendel’s Two Laws and how to explain them by using meiosis.
2. Know standard ratios of Mendelian genetics and apply these to one and two trait inheritance problems. There are
problems to be worked out: (These ratios will not work out in incomplete dominance, epistasis, linkage, etc.)
One Trait: both homozygous, Two Trait: both heterozygous, Two Trait: both homozygous, Two Trait: Both
heterozygous, One Trait: Test Cross, Two Trait: Test Cross
3. How to do a test cross
4. How to use probability in determining outcomes of genetic crosses.
5. How to determine the number of possible gametes from a genotype
6. Incomplete dominance, codominance – difference
7. Multiple alleles including blood type problems
8. Other genetic quirks: epistasis, pleiotropy, polygenic inheritance
9. Sex-linked problems (show sex chromosomes someway), X inactivation Barr bodies, SRY genes
10. Linkage, chromosome maps – how to determine if traits are linked on same chromosome, calculate the distance
between genes
11. Pedigrees – how to tell if dominant, recessive, autosomal, sex-linked
12. Genetic disorders cause of, nondisjunction, chromosomal abnormalities both in number and structure: monosomy,
trisomy, aneuploidy, polyploidy, deletion, inversion, translocation, duplication
13. How to determine disorders: karyotypes, amniocentesis, be able to recognize Down, Turners, Klinefelters, Fragile X
14. Maternal and paternal effects on phenotypic expression – genomic imprinting, Fragile X
15. Norm of reaction, influence of environment