heredity and development across the lifespan Flashcards
what are genes
segments of DNA that code for a trait
what are alleles
paired maternal and paternal genes
what are chromosomes
strands of DNA
what are homologous chromosomes
maternal and paternal paired chromosomes
what is heterozygous
when alleles code for different expressions of a trait- one is dominant and the other is recessive
what are homozygous
when alleles code for the same expression of a trait
what are dominant alleles
an allele that if present, will be expressed. dominant alleles mask the expression of recessive alleles and are designated in capital letters
what are recessive alleles
alleles whose expression only occurs if there are 2 recessive alleles paired. recessive alleles are designated by lowercase letters
what is the genotype
genetic code of alleles for a trait
what is the phenotype
physical expression of a trait. what the person look like
how does independent assortment result in genetic variation
because of the random alignment and separation of chromosomes during meiosis which leads to four different daughter cells
how does crossing over result in genetic variation
because during crossing over, part of one maternal chromosomes DNA is exchanged with part of the father chromosome. this results in a hybrid chromosome with a unique pattern of genetic material.
how does random fertilization lead to genetic variation
When male and female gamete meet each other, each is the result of a number of genetic possibilities created during independent assortment and crossing over. Fertilization occurs between a random sperm and a random oocyte
what is simple inheritance
a single gene pair that codes for a particular trait (out of all 23 chromosomes only one holds the alleles for that trait)
what is complex inheritance
multiple gene pairs code for a particular trait.