Genetics Flashcards
Genetics
the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics.
Hereditary
determined by genetic factors and therefore able to be passed on from parents to their offspring or descendants.
Gregor Mendel
monk and botanist whose experiments in breeding garden peas led to his eventual recognition as founder of the science of genetics
Allele
one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome.
Gene
a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Traits
a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person.
Dominant Allele
either of a pair (or series) of alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus on a particular chromosome and that control the same character.
Recessive allele
is a version of a gene which must be homozygous when inherited in order to be expressed in the phenotype.
Phenotype
the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.
Genotype
the genetic constitution of an individual organism.
Punnett Square
is a square diagram that is used to predict the genotypes of a particular cross or breeding experiment.
Homozygous dominant
it carries two copies of the same dominant allele
Heterozygous
an organism has two different alleles of a gene.
Homozygous recessive
it carries two copies of the same recessive allele.
Purebreed
bred from parents of the same breed or variety.
