| A | B |
|---|
| asexual reproduction | a type of reproduction-fission, budding, and regeneration-in which a new organism is produced from one organism and has DNA identical to the parent organism |
| chromosome | structure in a cell's nucleus that contains hereditary material |
| diploid | cell whose similar chromosomes occur in pairs |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic material of all organisms; made up of two twisted strands of sugar-phosphate molecules and nitrogen bases |
| egg | haploid sex cell formed in the female reproductive organs |
| fertilization | in sexual reproduction, the joining of a sperm and egg |
| gene | section of DNA on a chromosome that contains instructions for making specific proteins |
| haploid | cell that has half the number of chromosomes as body cells |
| meiosis | reproductive process that produces four haploid sex cells from one diploid cell and ensures offspring will have the same number of chromosomes as the parent organisms |
| mitosis | cell process in which the nucleus divides to form two nuclei identical to each other, and identical to the original nucleus, in a series of steps (prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase) |
| mutation | any permanent change in a gene or chromosome of a cell; may be beneficial, harmful, or have little effect on an organism |
| RNA | ribonucleic acid; a type of nucleic acid that carries codes for making proteins from the nucleus to the ribosomes |
| sexual reproduction | a type of reproduction in which two sex cells, usually an egg and a sperm, join to form a zygote, which will develop into a new organism with a unique identity |
| sperm | haploid sex cell formed in the male reproductive organs; in humans, male reproductive cells produced in the testes |
| zygote | new diploid cell formed when a sperm fertilizes an egg; will divide by mitosis and develop into a new organism |
