Biology A-Level
polyploidy
What polyploidy means in Biology A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of polyploidy
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Reference: AQA
Chromosome doubling in plants that produces individuals unable to make fertile offspring with the parent population.
Produced by non-disjunction of a whole set, common and often viable in plants but almost always lethal in animals.
Topics that use polyploidy
- Evolution may lead to speciation (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Genetic diversity can arise as a result of mutation or during (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- crossing over
- genetic variation
- new combinations of alleles
- random fertilisation
- allele frequency change
- alleles
- allopatric speciation
- causes of change
Using polyploidy in the exam
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