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Asexual reproduction

A type of reproduction which does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes.

Sexual reproduction

A type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete with a single set of chromosomes combines with another to produce a organism composed of cells with two sets of chromosomes.

Chromatin

Chromatin is a complex of DNA and protein found in eukaryotic cells. Its primary function is packaging long DNA molecules into more compact, denser structures.

Chromosome

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

sister chromatid

Refers to the identical copies formed by the DNA replication of a chromosome, with both copies joined together by a common centromere.

Centromere

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

cell cycle

The series of events that take place in a cell leading to duplication of its DNA and division of cytoplasm and organelles to produce two daughter cells.

Interphase

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

Mitotic Phase

A multistep process during which the duplicated chromosomes are aligned, separated, and move into two new, identical daughter cells.

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

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

Prophase

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.