Inheritance Flashcards
What are inherited characteristics
Inherited characteristics are the characteristics that we inherit from our parents and are controlled by our DNA
What are acquired characteristics
Acquired characteristics are characteristics that we pick up as we go through life
What are two examples of acquired and inherited characteristics
Inherited: eyes, skin color, hair color
Acquired: tattoos, piercings, dyed hair
What are chromosomes
Chromosomes are long threads of DNA in the nucleus that carry genetic instructions
How many chromosomes are in the human body
46
How many chromosomes are in the gametes
23
What are genes
Short sections of DNA that determine a specific characteristic
What is Meiosis
Meiosis is cell division in the sex organs that produces haploid gametes with half the number of chromosomes (23)
What happens to the gametes during fertilization
The male sex cell containing of 23 chromosomes fuses with the female sex cell to form a diploid zygote with 46 chromosomes
What is a haploid and what is a diploid cell
A haploid cell is a cell with half the number of chromosomes. A diploid cell is one with full number of chromosomes
What is Mitosis
Mitosis is the process of replication of cells used for growth and repair
What are alleles
Alleles are different forms of a gene
What are dominant alleles
Dominant alleles are alleles that are always expressed in the phenotype.
What are recessive alleles
Recessive alleles are alleles that are are not visible in the phenotype unless when there are two copies of each
What is the genotype
The genotype are the alleles that we have
What is the phenotype
The phenotype are the observable characteristics of an organism
What are homozygous alleles
Homozygous alleles are alleles that are the same for a particular gene
What are heterozygous alleles
Heterozygous alleles are alleles that are different for a particular gene
What is a homozygous dominant organism
A homozygous dominant organism is when both alleles are dominant
What is a homozygous recessive organism
A homozygous recessive organism is when both alleles are recessive
When is a recessive allele shown
A recessive allele is shown only when both alleles are homozygous recessive
Why is there an approximately equal number of boys and girls
There is an approximately equal number of boys and girls, because the probability of a child being a boy or a girl is 50%. This is because there are equal numbers of X and Y chromosomes in the sperm cell
What is the combination of sex chromosomes for a girl
The combination of sex chromosomes is XX for a girl
