AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sexual reproduction was an early evolutionary innovation after the appearance of eukaryotic cells. The fact that most eukaryotes reproduce sexually is evidence of its evolutionary success. In many animals, it is the only mode of reproduction.

Detailed explanation-2: -Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells. This process is required to produce egg and sperm cells for sexual reproduction.

Detailed explanation-3: -Meiosis occurs in the production of gametes-the sperm of the males and the eggs of the females. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, a zygote is produced with the appropriate number of chromosomes for the species-in humans (and potatoes) the zygote and the somatic (body) cells produced from it have 46 chromosomes.

Detailed explanation-4: -Only sexually reproductive organisms utilize meiosis. The role of the process is to produce sex cells and to repair genetic defects in germ line cells (the sex cells).

Detailed explanation-5: -Meiosis occurs in the primordial germ cells, cells specified for sexual reproduction and separate from the body’s normal somatic cells. In preparation for meiosis, a germ cell goes through interphase, during which the entire cell (including the genetic material contained in the nucleus) undergoes replication.