What is the genetic significance of crossing over during meiosis?

Answer 1

Crossing over is one of the most important events in meiosis because it allows variation in the produced offspring as genes from both parents are present in the organism.

in other words so the offspring may have certain traits from each parent.

Answer 2

Since crossing-over allows for the shuffling of genetic material between maternal and paternal homologous chromosomes, it results in genetic recombination. This shuffling ensures genetic variabilty in a population. That's why individuals look different.

Answer 3

Sort answer: to increase variability in the population.

The ultimate goal of sexual reproduction in any species is mixing the genes in the gene pool to obtain individuals which are more "fit" in certain environments than others. This is how species survive. Individuals may adapt somewhat to changes in their habitat but it is the species that really changes to adapt long term.

Example: As wolves moved north as a result of pressure in their habitat, those with longer fur were better able to survive. Eventually, the arctic wolves "evolved" to have quite long fir compared with wolves in more southern regions.

If you have a deck of cards which represents the genes in a population you can shuffle the deck all day and still when you deal the hands (representing individuals) any given card will be black OR red. To increase variability, crossing over is like tearing two cards of different colors in half and putting them back together in a different way. Now you have two Queens that is red on one end and black on the other. The new individual has a different mix of cards (chromosomes) than it might have had before.

This is another way to increase variability.

Answer 4

crossing over during meiosis is important in that it allows the occurrence of various genes, this is it promotes the increase of different genes. lets remember that meiosis occurs in sexually producing animals and that the first phase of meiosis is the reduction of the haploid number to the diploid number. this reduces the occurrences of increasing numbers in chromosomes. crossing over takes place during pro-phase

Answer 5

By aiding genetic diversity. Independent orientation of chromosomes, crossing over ( chromosomes exchanging pieces, thus genes ) and random fertilization are the species means to insure variation short of mutation. This variation can lead to some members of the species being resistant to some environmental stress and allow them to survive and reproduce.

Answer 6

the crossing over b/w homologous chromosomes is a way for exchange of genes b/w this contributes to genetic variability among organisms.

Answer 7

It creates a lot of variation (for the offspring), since any gene in any chromosome can be crossed over with the genes of its homologous partner.

Answer 8

Crossing over sort of 'mixes up' the DNA. The daughter cells from that first cross are identical to each other but not to the mother's cell.