Genetics Key Terms Flashcards
heredity
the passing of traits from parents to offspring
genetics
the branch of biology that deals with heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
molecules that carry genetic information in cells
gene
segments of DNA molecules that code for particular traits
locus
the location of a gene on a chromosome
polyploid
having more than two sets of chromosomes (ex. many plants are polyploids)
asexual reproduction vs sexual reproduction
asexual: reproduction that requires only one parent and produces genetically identical offspring
sexual: reproduction that generally requires 2 parents and produces genetically distinct offspring
diploid vs haploid cells
haploid: contains half the number of chromosomes (gametes)
diploid: contains pairs of chromosomes (somatic)
zygote
cell formed by the fusion of two gametes
fertilization
joining of male and female sex cells
alleles
different forms of the same gene
karyotype
a photogrpah of pairs of homologous choromosomes in a cell
autosomes
22 of the pairs that are not the sex chromosomes
genetic reduction vs recombination (both key outcomes of meiosis)
reduction: produces daughter cells with half the # of chromosomes as the parent cell
recombination: products of meiosis have different combinations of alleles (genetically different offspring)
synapsis
aligning of homologous chromosomes (during pro 1 in meta 1)
