What is synapsid and crossing over?

1 answer

Synapsid: Synapsids are a group of vertebrates that includes mammals and their extinct relatives. They are characterized by having a single opening in their skull behind the eye socket, known as the temporal fenestra. This group of animals first appeared in the late Carboniferous period and gave rise to mammals during the Mesozoic era. Synapsids are sometimes referred to as "mammal-like reptiles."

Crossing over: Crossing over is a process that occurs during meiosis, the cell division process that produces gametes (sperm and eggs). During crossing over, homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material with each other, resulting in genetic recombination. This process leads to increased genetic diversity in offspring and helps to shuffle and rearrange genetic information between chromosomes. Crossing over is important for the evolution of populations and for generating genetic variation within species.