1. asexual reproduction

a type of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single organism, and inherit the genes of that parent only; it does not involve the fusion of gametes, and almost never changes the number of chromosomes

sexual reproduction

1. the production of new living organisms by combining genetic information from two individuals of different types (sexes). In most higher organisms, one sex (male) produces a small motile gamete which travels to fuse with a larger stationary gamete produced by the other (female).
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chromatin

the material of which the chromosomes of organisms other than bacteria (i.e., eukaryotes) are composed. It consists of protein, RNA, and DNA.

chromosome

1. a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.
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1. sister chromatid

refers to the identical copies (chromatids) formed by the DNA replication of a chromosome, with both copies joined together by a common centromere. In other words, a sister chromatid may also be said to be 'one-half' of the duplicated chromosome.

centromere

1. the region of a chromosome to which the microtubules of the spindle attach, via the kinetochore, during cell division.
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1. cell cycle

The cell cycle is a four-stage process in which the cellincreases in size (gap 1, or G1, stage), copies its DNA (synthesis, or S, stage), prepares to divide (gap 2, or G2, stage), and divides (mitosis, or M, stage). The stages G1, S, and G2 make up interphase, which accounts for the span between cell divisions.

interphase

the resting phase between successive mitotic divisions of a cell, or between the first and second divisions of meiosis.

1. mitotic phase

The Mitotic Phase. The mitotic phase is a multistep process during which the duplicated chromosomes are aligned, separated, and move into two new, identical daughter cells. The first portion of themitotic phase is called karyokinesis or nuclear division.

mitosis

a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.

cytokinesis

1. the cytoplasmic division of a cell at the end of mitosis or meiosis, bringing about the separation into two daughter cells.
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prophase

1. the first stage of cell division, before metaphase, during which the chromosomes become visible as paired chromatids and the nuclear envelope disappears. The first prophase of meiosis includes the reduction division.
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metaphase

1. the second stage of cell division, between prophase and anaphase, during which the chromosomes become attached to the spindle fibers.
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