BIOL 170 Exploring Biology
Cell Reproduction and Heredity
Homework Questions
2/07
Reproduction: Mitosis
1. What are chromosomes?
2. Eukaryotic body (soma) cells do divide and produce two daughter cells. How
does the number of chromosomes of the mother cell compare to the number of
chromosomes in each of the daughter cells?
3. As the eukaryotic body cell prepares to divide, what happens to the chromatin?.
4. In the process of the eukaryotic body cell dividing into two daughter cells, what
happens to the chromosomes?
5. How many chromosome pairs are found in the normal human body cell?
Meiosis
6. The second type of cell found in most eukaryotic cells is the germ-line cell (sex
cell). Germ-line cells produce gametes. Name each type of gamete and describe
their structural differences.
7. A. Define the term diploid number.
B. Define the term haploid number.
8. In meiosis the eukaryotic germ-line cell produces how many daughter cells?
9. In germ-line daughter cells (also known as gametes) how does the number of
chromosomes in the mother cell compare to the number of chromosomes in the
daughter cells?
10. Explain the process of crossing over.
11. What is the advantage to the organism to engage in sexual reproduction?
12. What do we call the condition when cells divide without restraint?
Heredity
13. Eukaryotic cells carry the directions for each of their traits in their genetic
material (DNA). What do we call the specific genetic information (code or
directions) for a particular trait?
14. Each trait has two sets of directions (information or code) for each trait. Where
did each of these two sets of directions come from?
15. With these two sets of directions for a particular trait we might find that one set
of directions calls for the trait to be expressed one way (i.e. round chin) and the
second set of directions may call for the trait to be expressed a different way (i.e. cleft
chin). If so, in this case the person will have a cleft chin. What do we call that set of
directions (allele) that is expressed by the organism?
16. A. Define phenotype:
B. Define genotype:
17. Draw a Punnett square for the possible offspring from two parents whose
genotypes for freckles are FF and Ff.
18. From the Punnett Square information in question 17, what is the chance that an
offspring will have freckles?
19. Explain why I cannot plant apple seeds from my favorite apple variety and get a
tree that produces apples of the same variety. In your answer use the idea of
continuous variation and polygenic inheritance.
Population genetics
20. In a population of 1,000 individuals, 800 people are right handed and the rest are
left handed. Use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to calculate the frequency of
A. Homozygous dominate individuals
B. Homozygous recessive individuals
C. Heterozygous dominate individuals
Show your calculations of each of these values.
21. How have humans used non-random mating to produce certain desirable
characteristics in domestic animals and plants? In your answer, you can pick a
particular domesticated animal or plant to use as an example.
22. A. In sexual selection which gender selects its mate?
B. Why is this so?