Genetics Flashcards
Acinonyx
cheetah genus
Adenine
one of the bases DNA is made of, bonds with T
Alanine
amino acid with the codon GCT
Albinism
where someone’s skin has no melanin
Alfred Russel Wallace
studied beetles in South African rainforests, worked with Charles Darwin on the theory of natural selection
Allele
different forms of the same gene
Amniocentesis
involves testing a sample of cells from the amniotic fluid or placenta to test for chromosome disorders such as trisomies but may increase risk of miscarriage
Amoeba
a single-celled animal that catches food and moves about by extending fingerlike projections of protoplasm
Amphibia
amphibian class
Aneuploidy
an abnormal number of chromosomes
Animalia
animal kingdom
Annelids
phylum that involves segmented worms
Antelopus Varius
a critically endangered breed of harlequin toad once abundant in Costa Rica and Western Panama but now extinct in Costa Rica due to the fungal disease chytridiomycosis
Anura
frog order
Archaea
primitive bacteria existing in extreme environments
Arginine
amino acid with the codon CGT
Arthropod
the phylum that involves jointed legs and exoskeleton
Asexual Reproduction
where cells of the offspring are produced during mitosis from the cells of the parent
Asparagine
amino acid with the codon AAT
Aspartic Acid
amino acid with the codon GAT
Australopithecus Afarenis
the last known common ancestor between humans and chimps
Autosomes
chromosomes 1-22, which are the same in males and females
Beta Carotene
a substances that makes carrots orange and makes vitamin A, which is needed for good vision
Behavioural Features
used in taxonomy to class species, relating to how something behaves
Binary Fission
asexual reproductions with no fertilisation, where one organism splits in tow, e.g. bacterial reproduction
Binominal System
another name for taxonomy, the process for classifying organisms
Blasocyst
a group of about one hundred cells
Bone Marrow
a good source of adult stem cells
Canidae
dog family, canine
Canis
dog genus, canine
Canis Familians
binominal name for a domesticated dog
Canis Lupus
binominal name for a grey wolf
Canis Lutranus
binominal name for a coyote
Carnivora
carnivores order
Celera
a private company that attempted to sequence the entire human genome in three years at a fraction of the cost of the Human Genome Project, by skipping the mapping stage that the Human Genome Project attempted and reconstructing the fragments of the genome that went through the Sanger Method using only the overlaps
Cell Cycle
the life cycle of a cell
Interphase
the first stage of the cell cycle, where a cell copies its information
Mitosis
the second stage of the cell cycle, where the nucleus duplicates
Chordata
vertebrates phylum
Cytokinesis
the third stage of the cell cycle, where the cytoplasm and cell membrane duplicates
Channel Island Foxes
listed as critically endangered, lives on six of the Californian Channel Islands due to golden eagle predation and canine diseases such as Canine Distemper Virus (CDV)
Charles Darwin
man who came up with the theory of natural selection, whereby species best adapted to the environment survive, reproduce and pass on their desirable traits to offspring
Clone
something genetically identical to the parent
Cloning
the aim of cloning is to take control of the reproductive cycle, meaning there is no need to wait for a partner, and certain characteristics can be selected
Coding DNA
a sequence of DNA that codes for the production of a protein
Codon
three bases that code for one specific amino acid, which then create chains of proteins
Complementary Bases
describes how the chemical DNA bases pair up with each other
A with T
C with G
Cyanea Superba
a tree listed as extinct in the wild due to an epidermic on O’ahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands, competition with alien plants, habitat degradation by feral pigs, slugs and wildfire, meaning there are now only five left
Cysteine
amino acid with the codon TGT
Cystic Fibrosis
a recessive genetic disorder where osmosis does not happen, causing mucous in the body to be thick and sticky causing issues with the lungs, intestines, pancreatic duct and fertility system
Cytosine
one of the four bases DNA is made up of, bonds with G
Daughter Cell
the cell that is created
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
made up from nucleotides based on the sugar deoxyribose, bonded to a phosphate group and one of four bases
Dolly
a sheep who was the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell
Dominant Allele
allele which controls the characteristic whenever it is present, shown with capital letters
Double Helix
the structure of DNA
Dupuytren’s Disease
a genetic disease that causes benign thickening of the connective tissue in someone’s hand
Embryo
a hollow ball of cells that later develops into a foetus
Embryonic Screenings
involves screening embryos made through IVF to check for genetic disorders
Endangered
where a species is at risk of no longer existing in its natural habitat due to the species being unable to reproduce as fast as they are dying out
Eocene
a geological era from 56 to 33.9 million years ago
Eugenics
the selective breeding of humans, such as when the Nazis sterilised 4000000 people and killed 70000
Evolutionary Tree
another name for Pedigree’s
Extinct
where a species no longer exists in its natural habitat because it has died out
Climate Change
climate change is particularly dangerous in the polar regions where reduction in sea ice means that animals who are adapted to living on or under sea ice may become extinct
Habitat Destruction
deforestation and destruction of coral reefs comes under this, as humans are destroying natural habitats for the benefits of resources, agriculture and urbanisation, for example, as a side effect of trawler fishing
Hunting and Fishing
human population increases has led to a higher demand of food and increase in hunting and fishing rates, animals may also be hunted for fur or ivory
Inbreeding
the formation of offspring from the breeding of closely related individuals
Introduced Species
species that are introduced to a habitat either accidentally (by hitchhiking) or intentionally (as pets or crops) may cause problems such as competition, where the new species causes natives to have to compete for resources such as food and shelter, predation, where a new species predates upon the native species and native species do not have adaptations to avoid those predators, or disease, where the new species may bring a disease which they are immune to to the new habitat, but native species are vulnerable
New Diseases
new diseases can cause species to go extinct, especially in places such as islands where animals live close together
Felidae
feline family
Felis
cat genus native to most of Africa and South Europe
Felis Concolor
binominal name for a mountain lion
Fertilisation
the fusing of a sperm and an egg
Forces of Attraction
the hydrogen bond between AT and CG
Frances Crick
a member of partnership at Cambridge University who published the double helix model
Gamete
sex cell
Gametocyte
a cell that divides to form gametes
Gene
a section of DNA, which carries coding for a particular type of protein, different genes control the development of different characteristics of an organism
Gene Theory
the theory that genes code for protein
Genetic Code
the order of the DNA bases
Genetic Engineering
when the actual genome of an organism are changed by transferring a desired gene from one organism to another
Genetic Features
used in taxonomy to class species, related to something’s genetic code
Genotype
the set of alleles that an organism possesses
George Cuvier
the first person to propose the idea of extinction
Glutamine
amino acid with the codon CAA
Glutamic Acid
amino acid with the codon GAA
Glycine
amino acid with the codon GGT
GM Crop
a crop that has been genetically modified through genetic engineering
Gregor Mendel
a monk who discovered that various genetic traits could be passed down by individuals even if they did not display those traits themselves by studying pea plants
Guanine
one of the four bases DNA is made up of, bonds with C
Haploid
where cells only have the genetic information
Hierarchical Shotgun Sequencing
the method that the Human Genome Project used to sequence the genome, which minimised risk of misassembly