asexual reproduction

is a type of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single organism, and inherit the genes of that parent only.

sexual reproduction

the production of new living organisms by combining genetic information from two individuals of different types sexes.

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

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 (chromatids) 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

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.

mitotic phase

is divided into stages corresponding to the completion of one set of activities and the start of the next.

mitosis

is divided into stages corresponding to the completion of one set of activities and the start of the next.

cytokinesis

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

prophase

is the first stage of cell division in both mitosis and meiosis. Beginning after interphase, DNA has already been replicated when the cell enters prophase.

metaphase

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