The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance

What are the stages of cell reproduction?

1) Interphase
2) Prophase
3) Metaphase
4) Anaphase
5) Telophase
6) Cytokinesis

What is Mitosis? 

Cell reproduction consisting of one cell dividing it's genetic information into two identical cells, barring mutation.

What are the differences between animal and plant mitosis?


Animal cells, since they don't have a cell wall, have a cleavage furrow right as they're about to split, that will become part of the new cell membranes. In plants, since they have a cell wall, they develop a cell plate in between them that will become the new part of the cell wall. Not only that, but plants also have to split up their chloroplasts, something animals do not have.

The Facts:

-Sexual reproduction allows for quick adaptation and evolution
-Asexual reproduction usually creates identical offspring to the parent, but cannot adapt very fast
-Prokaryotes reproduce mostly by binary fission
-Because of anchorage dependence, if you left some animal cells in a dish, they'd grow along the bottom
-A tumor is uncontrolled growth of cells
-A benign tumor is one that stays on it's origin
-A malignant tumor is one that spreads to other tissues
-Haploid gametes are created by splitting sex cells into halves, each with half the genetic information
-Meiosis consists of two cycles of splitting, ending in four cells as opposed to two
-There are many genetic disorders caused by failures in chromosome development.

Some Helpful Terms:

-Asexual Reproduction: The creation of genetically identical offspring by a single parent without the presence of sperm or an egg
-Chromosomes: Structures that contain most of the organism's DNA
-Binary Fission: Prokaryotes use this type of reproduction, essentially just splitting themselves in half.
-Chromatin: A combination of DNA and protein molecules
-Sister Chromatids: Identical copies of a DNA molecule
-Centromere: What joins the chromatids together
-Interphase: Takes up most of the cell's life, this is while it is performing it's normal functions
-Density-Dependent Inhibition: A phenomenon in which crowded cells don't divide.
-Anchorage Dependence: When cells have to be in contact with a solid surface to divide.
-Metastasis: The spread of cancer cells beyond their origin

Diagram: 

(Going clockwise)
Interphase cell: Performing intended functions
Prophase: Nuclear envelope dissolved, chromosomes free
Metaphase: Chromosomes lining up, spindles attaching
Anaphase: Cell is beginning to split, chromosomes split apart, going to different sides
Telophase: Cells almost completely divided, nuclear envelope reforms on both sides










Summary:
This chapter covers cell reproduction, both mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis is the asexual reproduction of cells, whereas meiosis is specifically for the sex cells. Asexual reproduction requires no mate, and produces genetically similar offspring. In animals, sexual reproduction requires a mate, but produces genetically varied offspring, and is very susceptible to adaptation.
This also gives some good real-life examples of when things go wrong- tumors are uncontrolled cell growth. While from a perspective of cell reproduction, interphase seems rather useless, in fact that's a very good thing, seeing as that is when the cell is doing its job.


A Cool Video:

(warning, contains profanity)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxNNOcVOwaU