Heredity Flash cards
Allele
different forms of a gene.
Genotype
the combination of genes for one or morevtraits.
Phenotype
an organisms apperance or other detectable.characteristic
Homozygous
having identical pairs of genes for any given pair of hereditary characteristics.
Heterozygous
having dissimilar pairs of genes for any hereditary characteristic.
Dominant trait
In genetics, a trait that will appear in the offspring if one of the parents contributes it.
Recessive Trait
In genetics, a trait that must be contributed by both parents in order to appear in the offspring.
`Mitosis
the usual method of cell division, characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being retained in each of two new cells resulting from the original cell.
Meiosis
part of the process of gamete formation, consisting of chromosome conjugation and two cell divisions
identical twins
one of a pair of twins who develop from a single fertilized ovum and therefore have the same genotype, are of the same sex, and usually resemble each other closely.
Fraternal twins
one of a pair of twins, not necessarily resembling each other, or of the same sex, that develop from two separately fertilized ova.
Sex-linked disorder
a genetic disorder that is found on the x chromosome.
Chromosome
any of several threadlike bodies, consisting of chromatin, that carry the genes in a linear order: the human species has 23 pairs
Gene
the basic physical unit of heredity; a linear sequence of nucleotides along a segment of DNA that provides the coded instructions for synthesis of RNA, which, when translated into protein, leads to the expression of hereditary character.
DNA
Genetics. deoxyribonucleic acid: an extremely long macromolecule that is the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms, constructed of two nucleotide strands coiled around each other in a ladderlike arrangement with the sidepieces composed of alternating phosphate and deoxyribose units and the rungs composed of the purine and pyrimidine bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine: the genetic information of DNA is encoded in the sequence of the bases and is transcribed as the strands unwind and replicate.
Compare base pair, gene, genetic code, RNA.