Multicellular Organisms - Variation and Inheritance

Question 1

types of variation

Answer 1

• continuous
• discrete

Question 2

continuous variation

Answer 2

a characteristic of an animal or plant that shows a wide range of variations between two extremes

e.g. height, hand span, weight, tail length, length of leaf

Question 3

discrete variation

Answer 3

the variation in a characteristic is clear-cut, with the organism either belonging to two or more groups

e.g. eye colour, fingerprints, blood groups

Question 4

phenotype

Answer 4

physical characteristics shown in an organism

Question 5

genotype

Answer 5

the genetic make up of an organism. the combination of alleles in a gene

e.g. BB, Bb, bb

Question 6

dominant

allele

Answer 6

the allele that will show in the organisms phenotype

Question 7

recessive

allele

Answer 7

the allele that does NOT show in the organisms phenotype

Question 8

homozygous

Answer 8

both alleles for the gene are the same

e.g. BB, bb

this can also be known as true or pure breeding

Question 9

hetrozygous

Answer 9

both alleles are different for that gene

e.g. Bb

Question 10

monohybrid cross

Answer 10

genetic crosses involving only one characteristic

Question 11

P, F1, F2

Answer 11

• P - the parents and origional generation
• F1 - the offspring of P, the first generation
• F2 - the offspring of F1, the second generation

Question 12

polygenic

Answer 12

characteristic controlled by more than one gene

Question 13

allele

Answer 13

the different forms of a gene