The Principals of Genetic Inheritance

The basic structure of all organisms is the cell. Some

CELLS
organisms, such as bacteria, are unicellular and
consist of only one cell. Most organisms are
TISSUES
multicellular and consist of large numbers of
different cells organized into tissues and organs.
ORGANS
Cells
All cells have the following features: BODY
● A cell membrane surrounding the living material of the cell
● The cytoplasm: the living material of the cell
● A nucleus containing chromosomes

Plant cells

Plant cells differ from animal cells in that they have:

● A cellulose cell wall

● A vacuole (space surrounded by a membrane) containing cell sap
● Chloroplasts containing the green pigment chlorophyll

Questions:

● State the function of the labelled

parts from the
diagram

● Name parts that

are found in the plant cell but not
in the animal cell

Cell Division
New cells are formed by cell division, it is vital that genetic information in the
parent cell gets passed on to the new cells.

There are two types of nuclear division:

● Mitosis: in mitosis chromosomes in the nucleus of the parent cell are divided
into two equal sets so that the nucleus in each new cell has exactly the same
number of chromosomes as the parent cell; this type of division occurs when
new cells are produced throughout the life of an living organism.

● Meiosis: this involves the formation of gametes (sex cells) in the

reproductive organs; the nucleus of each gamete has half the number of
chromosomes as the parent cell; when fertilization occurs the zygote has
the correct number of chromosomes restored.
 Questions
● How much chromosomes does a cell normally contain in
humans?