Genes and Chromosomes Essays
Offspring often show similar traits to their parents because parents pass on genes (packets of information about traits) to their offspring. A gene is a unit of heritable material that codes for a particular trait. There are genes for hair color, eye color, height, and every other trait an organism expresses. There are also genes that cause diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. A gene is a sequence of DNA nucleotides (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine) found on chromosomes Genes and Chromosomes Essays. A chromosome is a structure that contains DNA, the genetic material that is passed from one generation to the next. Living things have varying chromosome numbers. For example, humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Fruit flies have eight total chromosomes, and the adder’s-tongue fern (Ophioglossum) has over 1,000 chromosomes. Chromosome number is not an indicator of how complex an organism is.
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Numbers of Chromosomes in Different Organisms
| Organism | Chromosome Number (2n) |
|---|---|
| American Beaver ( Castor canadensis) | 40 |
| Buffalo ( Bison bison) | 60 |
| Cat ( Felis catus) | 38 |
| Chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes) | 48 |
| Roundworm ( Ascaris lumbricoides) | 48 |
| Corn ( Zea mays) | 40 |
| Sugar Beet ( Beta vulgaris) | 18 |
| Black Mulberry ( Morus nigra) | 308 |
* 2n refers to the diploid number, in which there are two copies of each chromosome.
