AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

Name__________________________Period___________

Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Concept 13.1 Offspring acquire genes from parents by inheriting chromosomes

1. Let’s begin with a review of several terms that you may already know. Define:

gene a hereditary unit of coded information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA

locus a specific place along the length of a chromosome where a given gene is located

gamete a haploid reproductive cell

male gamete a sperm cell

female gamete an egg cell

asexual reproduction the generation of offspring from a single parent that occurs without the fusion of gametes

sexual reproduction when two parents give rise to offspring that have unique combinations of genes
inherited from both parents through the fusion of gametes.
2. How many chromosomes are in human cells? What is a chromosome?
46 chromosomes. a cellular structure carrying genetic material, found in the nucleus of
eukaryotic cells

3. Which type of reproduction will result in genetically identical offspring?

Asexual reproduction generally results in clones, genetically identical offspring.

Concept 13.2 Fertilization and meiosis alternate in sexual life cycles

4. What is a somatic cell? Give examples of two human somatic cell types.
Somatic cells are all body cells except the reproductive cells, including blood cells and skin cells.

5. How does a somatic cell compare to a gamete in terms of chromosome number?

Unlike somatic cells, gametes contain a single set of chromosomes. Such cells are called haploid
cells, and each has a haploid number of chromosomes

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

6. Distinguish between sex chromosomes and autosomes. How many of each are found in human
cells?

Explanation # in Human Cells

Sex chromosome X and Y chromosomes; responsible for determining individual’s sex 1

Autosome Not a sex chromosome 22

7. What is a karyotype? How is it prepared? What are three things that can be determined from a
karyotype?
When images of the chromosomes are arranged in pairs, starting with the longest chromosomes, the resulting ordered
displayed
Karyotypes are prepared from isolated somatic cells, which are treated with a drug to stimulate mitosis and then grown
in culture for several days
The size of the chromosomes, the position of the centromeres, and the pattern of the stained bands can be determined
from a karyotype.

8. Explain what is meant by homologous chromosomes.

Homologous chromosomes are a pair of chromosomes of the same length, centromere position, and staining pattern.

9. Cells that have only one of each homologous pair are said to be haploid, a condition that is
represented by n. Cells that have two of each homologous pair are said to be diploid or 2n. For
each of the following, is the cell haploid or diploid?

diploid haploid
liver cell____________________________ gamete________________________________
haploid diploids
egg_________________________________ zygote________________________________
haploid haploid
skin cell_____________________________ sperm ________________________________
diploid haploid
somatic cell__________________________ sex cell_______________________________

10. The muscle cells of a dog have 78 chromosomes. Fill in the correct chromosome number in a:
78 39 39 78 78
bone cell_______ sperm_______ haploid cell_______ somatic cell_______ zygote_______

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

11. In the cell at right, the chromosomes are shaded in two colors to represent the parent of origin.
On this sketch, label the following:
sister
chromatid
a. sister chromatids s of one
duplicated
chromoso
b. homologous chromosomes me centromere

c. centromere

d. replicated chromosome 2 nonsister

chromatids in pair of homologous chromosomes
a
e. maternal chromosomes homologous
pair

12. How many chromosomes does the cell above have? 6

How many homologous pairs? 3

12
How many chromatids?

Is this cell haploid or diploid? diploid

13. Where are the gametes of an animal produced? Be specific as to male and female gametes.
They are from the gonads.- Ovaries for females and Testes for males

14. By what process are gametes produced?

meiosis

zygote
15. What is another term for a fertilized egg? __________________What is the chromosome
number of the fertilized egg? (Answer this in general terms, haploid, n, or diploid, 2n.)

16. What is the purpose of meiosis?

Meiosis is a modified type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms consisting of two rounds of cell
division but only one round of DNA replication. It results in cells with half the number of chromosome sets as
the original cell, producing gametes, and introducing genetic variability
17. Study Figure 13.6. You will see that plants have a life cycle that involves spores, which form as
a result of meiosis, so these spores are haploid. Notice also that both haploid and diploid cells
can divide by mitosis. However, meiosis always begins with cells that are
diploid
_________________, and as a result of meiosis, daughter cells are formed that are always
haploid
_________________. These cells can be gametes (in animals) or spores (in plants).

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

18. Your study of plants this year will include knowing that they exhibit alternation of generations.

What does this mean? haploid

A life cycle in which there is both a multicellular diploid form; diploid
characteristic of plants and some algae
What are the two generations?
Sporophyte and gametophyte n
n n
n n
Which is haploid, and which is diploid?
Sporophyte is diploid, and gametophyte is haploid meiosis fertilization

Use this information to label the moss life cycle here. 2n 2n

Concept 13.3 Meiosis reduces the number of chromosome sets from diploid to haploid

19. What are alleles? Give an example.

Alleles are any of the alternative versions of a gene that may produce distinguishable phenotypic effects. A
possible example is the allele for freckles.
20. In meiosis, the DNA is replicated during interphase, followed by two divisions. The first
division is meiosis I. Study the events of prophase I as they are significant. Explain each of
these events:
The pairing and physical connection of
synapsis duplicated homologous chromosomes during
prophase I of meiosis
The reciprocal exchange of genetic PROPHASE I
crossing over material between nonsister chromatids
during prophase I of meiosis
chiasmata
The X-shaped, microscopically visible region where crossing
over has occurred earlier in prophase I between homologous
non sister chromatids..

21. The figure at the right shows metaphase I. How is the arrangement of chromosomes
different from metaphase of mitosis?
During mitosis, individual chromosomes line up at the metaphase plate. During meiosis, pairs of homologous
chromosomes line up at the metaphase plate.
METAPHASE I

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

22. There will be two divisions in meiosis. What will separate in the first division in meiosis I?
In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes separate.

23. Now study the chromosomes in anaphase I and telophase I carefully. How many
chromosomes are in each cell at the end of the first meiotic division? 3

Are the resultant daughter cells haploid, or diploid? haploid

ANAPHASE I TELOPHASE I
24. From this figure, you should see that chromosome number is reduced in meiosis I and that the
daughter cells at the end of meiosis I are haploid. Remember this!

25. During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes separate. What separates during meiosis II?
Sister chromatids separate during meiosis II.

26. To check that you have the big picture, here are some quick review questions.
a. What happens to chromosome number in meiosis?
They are reduced by half.

b. During which division is the chromosome number reduced?

Meiosis I

c. What is the purpose of meiosis?

To reduce the number of sets of chromosomes from two to one in gametes

d. How many times does the cell divide in meiosis?

2

e. How many times do the chromosomes duplicate?

none

f. How many daughter cells are formed?

4

g. What is the chromosome number?

n

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

h. What are homologs (homologous chromosomes)?

A pair of chromosomes of the same length, centromere position, and staining pattern that possess genes for the same
characters at corresponding loc
i. What occurs in synapsis?
The pairing and physical connection of duplicated homologous chromosomes during prophase I of meiosis

j. What is crossing over?

The reciprocal exchange of genetic material between nonsister chromatids during prophase I of meiosis

27. Use Figure 13.9 to compare of mitosis and meiosis. Add these labels:

Parent cell, Mitosis, Meiosis, Synapsis, Homologous chromosomes, Replicated chromosomes,

Sister chromatids, Daughter cells, Meiosis I, Meiosis II, Crossing over

As you label the drawing, carefully think about each process and review its important features.

mitosis meiosis
parent cell meiosis 1
crossing over.

replicated sister chromatids

chromosomes

homologous
chromosomes

daughter
cells

meiosis II

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

28. Students often get confused about the differences between mitosis and meiosis. To help with
this, work through the following chart:

Mitosis Meiosis
Role in the animal body Enables multicellular adult to arise
from zygote Produces gametes

Number of DNA replications 1 1

Number of divisions 1 2

Number of daughter cells 4

2

Chromosome number of 2n n
daughter cells

29. Synapsis and crossing over are unique to meiosis. During what specific phase do these occur?

prophase I

30. Explain the physical events of crossing over. You may wish to make a sketch of the event.
Include these terms: synaptonemal complex, chiasmata, homologs, sister chromatids.

Crossing over, a genetic rearrangement between nonsister chromatids involving the exchange of
corresponding segments of DNA molecules, begins during pairing and synaptonemal complex formation,
and is completed while homologs are in synapsis. A chiasma exists at the point where a crossover has
occurred.

Concept 13.4 Genetic variation produced in sexual life cycles contributes to evolution

31. An important idea for you to understand is that new alleles arise by changes in the DNA or
mutation, but genetic diversity occurs when the deck that is dealt is simply reshuffled. So, there
are three ways that sexually reproducing organisms “shuffle the deck.” They are listed below.
Explain what occurs in each, and how this increases diversity.

independent assortment of chromosomes

: At metaphase I, the homologous pairs, each consisting of one maternal and one paternal chromosome, are situated at
the metaphase plate. Each pair may orient with either its maternal or paternal homolog closer to a given pole
crossing over
: Crossing over begins very early in prophase I as homologous chromosomes pair loosely along their lengths. Each gene
on one homolog is aligned precisely with the corresponding gene on the other homolog.
random fertilization
The random nature of fertilization adds to the genetic variation arising from meiosis. In humans, each male and
female gamete represents one of about 8.4 million possible chromosome combinations due to independent
assortment

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AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

32. Here is a fun exercise to drive this point home. Pull out your calculator, and try your hand at
this: When you were conceived, what were the odds that of the many possibilities, your parents
would come up with you?

a. The number of different gametes that can be formed because of independent assortment is

2n, where n = the number of homologous pairs

Therefore, since humans have 46 chromosomes or 23 homologous pairs, what is the number of
possible gametes that can be formed due to independent assortment of chromosomes?

b. Now, this is the number of unique gametes your mom could have made. Your father could have
made the same number. To see the effect of random fertilization, multiply the number of
gametes one parent could make by the number of unique gametes the other parent could make.

Your answer should be in the trillions, and all of this is without crossing over. See how special
you are?

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 AP Biology Reading Guide Chapter 13: Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Fred and Theresa Holtzclaw

Testing Your Knowledge: Self-Quiz Answers

Now you should be ready to test your knowledge. Place your answers here:
a d b a c d
d
1.________2.________3.________4._________5._________6.__________7._________

Follow the directions for Self-Quiz question 10, DRAW IT by labeling the appropriate structures
with these terms, drawing lines or brackets as needed: chromosome (label as replicated or
unreplicated), centromere, kinetochore, sister chromatids, nonsister chromatids, homologous
pair, homologs, chiasma, sister chromatid cohesion, and then answer questions 8 and 9.

Kinetochore
centromere

sister chromatids

alleles of the F gene

Alleles of the H gene

Nonsister Chromatids

Sister Chromatid Cohesion

gene loci

Chiasma

chromosome homolog
homolog

homologous pair
8. _________________________________

9. _________________________________

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