LIFESCI 1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 42.1: Transfer Dna, Mitosis, Zygote
Document Summary
The particular way in which animals reproduce varies among species. Organisms have two potential ways to reproduce. One is the production of genetically identical cells or individuals called clones. This form of reproduction is called asexual reproduction, and it occurs in a wide variety of organisms. For example, bacteria and archaeons reproduce by binary fission, a form of cell division in which the genome replicates and then the cell divides in two. The result is two cells that are either identical to the parent cell or nearly identical, differing only because of chance mutations. Prokaryotes can nevertheless increase genetic variation by horizontal gene transfer, as described in. For example, they can transfer dna from one individual to another, usually of the same species, and much more rarely to an individual of another species, during conjugation. They can also obtain dna directly from the environment and by viral infection, incorporating genes that might have evolved in even distantly related species.
