Drawing a Link Between Genetic Inheritance and Meiosis: A Set of Exercises for the Undergraduate Biology Classroom

Alleles are passed from parent to offspring through meiotic cell division and subsequent fusion of gametes. Despite this important link, general biology courses at the high school and college levels frequently discuss meiosis and genetic inheritance as two distinct content areas. As a consequence, s...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of microbiology & biology education 2019, Vol.20 (2)
Hauptverfasser: Strand, Stephanie, Boes, Katie E
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Alleles are passed from parent to offspring through meiotic cell division and subsequent fusion of gametes. Despite this important link, general biology courses at the high school and college levels frequently discuss meiosis and genetic inheritance as two distinct content areas. As a consequence, students may leave biology courses with a working knowledge of both meiosis and genetic inheritance in isolation rather than understanding them as interconnected topics. In this paper, we describe and provide a series of classroom exercises that prompt students to explore the connection between meiosis and genetic inheritance. Specifically, students draw cells containing chromosomes with labeled alleles to illustrate key steps in the formation of gametes during meiosis and the subsequent fusion of gametes during fertilization. We believe that this approach is appropriate for either group or individual work, during or outside of class time, and we describe potential benefits for students and instructors.
ISSN:1935-7877
1935-7885
DOI:10.1128/jmbe.v20i2.1733