genetics Flashcards
what is the genotype
genetic composition of an organism
sets limits within which individual characteristics can vary
vary may be due to environment
any change in genotype is a mutation and they can be inherited
what is the phenotype
genotype and environment
determined by interaction between genotype and environment
any change due to phenotype only is a modification and not inherited
what did Gregor Mendel do
study heredity
selected features of the garden pea
peas were easy to grow and had a short cycle
isolated pea plants that were pure breeding (both dominant alleles)
chose traits with contrasting features
how else can you describe first genertion
first filial generation = F1
what is self cross
crossing plants of the same generation
what did mendel find
tall : dwarf
3 : 1
what was the first mendelian law
characteristics of an organism are determined by internal factors (alleles) which occur in pairs. only one of each pair of factors (alleles) can be represented in a single gamete
what is monohybrid inheritance
inheritance involving a single characteristic determined by one gene
define gene
basic unit of heredity, codes for a specific trait
define loci
specific location of a gene on a chromosome
define genome
total heredity endowment of DNA of a cell or organism
define somatic
all body cells except reproductive cells
define gametes
reproductive cells (i.e. sperm and eggs)
define chromosomes
elongated cell structure composed of DNA and protein - carry DNA in cells
define diploid
chromsome type is represented by 2 homologous chromosomes
define haploid
chromsome type is represented by one chromosome
define homologous
same size and shape carrying same type of genes
define chromatid
one of 2 duplicated chromosomes connected at the centromere
define centromere
region of chromosome where microtubules attach
define dominant
alleles that are always expressed
define genotype
genetic make up made from alleles
define heredity
study of inheritance
define phenotype
features resulting from expression of genes
define allele
different forms of the sea gene
define homozygous
2 alleles of a pair are the same
define recessive
alleles only expressed if both alleles are present
define heterozygous
two alleles of a pair are different
what is a test cross
organism with a dominant characteristic could be homozygous or heterozygous. appearance (phenotype) is identical in both cases
accurate genotyping may be achieved by crossing organisms of unknown genotype with once which is known
what is codominance
both alleles in the heterozygote are expressed individually. a heterozygote will have a combination of both alleles. e.g. having a genotype for blood type Ia Ib then both alleles are expressed so their blood type is AB
what is incomplete dominance
phenotype is intermediate between the 2 parental phenotypes rather than their both being expressed e.g. red flowers crossed with white flowers have an F1 or pink flowers. neither the allele for red or white have complete dominance. they have the symbols R/Cr and W/Cw for white. when the F1 interbreed the ration of colours in the F2 gen. is (red:2 pink:1 white)
what is dihybrid inheritance
simultaneous inheritance of 2 unlinked genes (genes on different chromosomes) each controlled by a different chromosome at a different locus.
mendel studied dihybrid inheritance by crossing plants from 2 pure breeding strains - one tall with purple flowers and one dwarf with white flowers
what are the mendelian conclusions
2 pairs of characteristics behave independently of each other. led him to formulate his 2nd law of inheritance
what is the 2nd law of inheritance
either one of a pair of contrasted characteristics may combine with either of another pair
what is the expected mendelian ratio
expected ratio in the offspring of a monohybrid cross is 3:1 and a dihybrid cross is 9:3:3:1
any discrepancy found is due to statistical error
what is chi squared test used for
tests in the numbers of different phenotypes are closed enough to the predicted values to support the genetic explanation of how they arose. if the numbers are not close enough they must have arisen for another reason
what is the null hypothesis
a statement that there is no difference between the observed and expected results of a cross. a null hypothesis state that the observed results are due to mendelian cross and any deviation is due to chance
no difference between the observed and expected number of phenotypes
can either accept or reject the null hypothesis
what is the degrees of freedom
number of classes (categories) -1
predicted results are significant means that the predictions made are not true and there must be a different explanation