Genetics and Mendel vocab Flashcards
Genetics
Scientific study of heredity (passing of traits from parents to offspring)
Mendel
Austrian monk (1822-1844) experiments with garden peas laid the foundation for modern generics
Trait
specific characteristics that vary from one individual to another
seed colour or plant height
Hybrids
the offspring of crosses between parents with different traits; offspring that differ from their parents in one or more traits
In crosses
Each original pair of plants
(parents)=P (parental) generation
offspring= F1, “first filian” generation (filius: son, filia: daughter)
Genes
The chemical factors that determine traits
Mendel: factors that are passed from one generation to the next
Alleles
The different form of a gene
Dominant
Allele that determines the expression of a genetic trait; an individual with a dominant allele will always exhibit that form of the trait
Recessive
Allele that is over-ruled by the dominant
An individual will exhibit this form only when the dominant form is not present
Segregation
During gamete formation, alleles separate from each other so that each gamete carries only a single copy of each gene
Fertilization
Male and female reproductive cells join during sexual reproduction
Gametes
Sex cells formed during meiosis
Homozygous
Organisms that have 2 identical alleles for a particular trait (TT or tt)
True-breeding for a trait
purebred→ synonym for homozygous
Heterozygous
Organisms that have 2 different alleles for the same trait (Tt)
Hybrid
synonym for heterozygous—for a trait
