Genetics- concepts Flashcards
what is genetics
the scientific study of genes and hereditary.
- how dna controls what organism looks like and how it works.
- how certain qualities or traits are passed from parents to offspring.
Transmission genetics
the study of the transmission of genes from generation to generation
- experimental crosses
- selective breeding for desired traits
- pedigree analysis to trace diseases in families
Molecular genetics
the study of the structure and function of genes at the molecular level
- the “central dogma” of molecular biology
population genetics
the study of genetic differences within and between populations or individuals
quantitative genetics
the study of the effects of many genes
trait
a characteristic feature of an organism
- tend to run in families in predictable ways
- controlled by one or more genes
- may not be visible (DNA sequences)
genotype
the genetic variant present at a given location in the genome
- variants of a genotype are alleles
can be represented by symbols BB, Bb or bb
phenotype
an individuals observable traits
- determined by the interaction between their genotype and the environment
chromosome
a structure composed of DNA and proteins that bears genetic information
gene
a section of DNA that codes for a polypeptide or RNA
gene locus
a specific location of a gene along a chromosome
alleles
different molecular forms of the same gene
- there may be many alleles at a locus
ploidy
the number of copies of a genome an organism has
haploid
having a single set of chromosomes (only 1 allele per locus, “n”)
diploid
having two sets of paired chromosomes (2 alleles per locus, one per each copy of a chromosome; “2n”)
