Kevin’s Cards about Genetics and Heredity Flashcards
Genetics Definition
The study of how heritable characteristics are determined and passed from parents to offspring
Heredity Definition
The ability to pass on genetics traits, such as color of the eyes, from parent to child through DNA
When did the understanding of genetics begin
The understanding of genetics began with a 19th century Augustinian monk who grew pea plants in the garden of a monastery in Austria, named Gregor Mendel
Who is considered the father of genetics
Gregor Mendel
Heritable Definition
Transmitted from parents to offspring regardless of environment
What is a Genetic Counselor
A person who has studied genetics and advises people on genetic issues, such as diseases
What did Gregor Mendel notice about pea-plants
Gregor Mendel noticed pea plants had certain identifiable and measurable features, or characteristics
Characteristics Definition
An identifiable or measurable feature of an organism, such as size, color, or texture
What features did Mendel notice about pea plants
Height, flower color, and seed texture
What did Gregor Mendel wonder about pea plant’s characteristics
He wondered if these went from generation to generation
Due to his wonder of heritable traits in pea plants, what did Mendel do to find out of pea plant characteristics go from generation to generation
To find out, Mendel cross-pollinated pea plants exhibiting different characteristics and observed the offspring. He then crossed the offspring with one another to see which characteristics showed up in the next generation of plants. He observed that some characteristics, such as flower color, seed shape, and seed color, were heritable, or passed on from parents to offspring regardless of environment
Cross Pollination Definition
The process of transferring pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower. In Mendel’s investigation, the pollen was transferred from the anther of a flower on one plant to the stigma of a flower one a different plant
Factors Definition
The term Mendel used to describe what he hypothesized must be in all cells of organisms that determine the way traits are transmitted from parents to offspring
What did Mendel reason about the way traits are inherited
Mendel reasoned that certain factors in the cells of an organism determined the way traits are transmitted from parents to offspring
The qualities Mendel observed in his pea plants are referred to what today
Traits
Trait Definition
The specific observable form of an inheritable characteristic, such as tall height, pink for flower color, or smooth for seed texture
What is a true-breeder
A plant that pollinates itself
What is an independent variable
The factor that changes or manipulates in an experiment
What is a dependent variable
The dependent variable responds to the independent variable, which is what the scientists measure
What generation are the original two plants that Mendel used in
The parent generation
What generation are the first set of offspring Mendel produced
The first generation
What realization of Mendel was critical to his understanding of inheritance
His realization that the first-generation plants were not true-breeding
Dominant Definition
The characteristic of a trait that is expressed whether the trait is passed on from one or both parents
What did Mendel hypothesize about the dominancy of traits in the pea plants
He hypothesized that one factor, trait from parent, is dominant over the other