Genetics Flashcards
(20 cards)
Genetics
Scientific study of heredity
Heredity
The passageway of genetic instructions from one generation to the next
Gregor Mendel
- pea plant studier
- known as “father of genetics”
- Austrian monks
Allele
The different forms of genes
Gene
A sequence of DNA that determines a trait and has passed on from parent to offspring
Traits
A specific characteristic that an organism can pass on to their offspring
Dominant allele
Shows up in organism when allele is present
- is represented by a capitalized letter
Recessive allele
Hidden when dominant allele is present
- represented by lower case letter
Phenotype
An organisms physical appearance
Genotype
A set of alleles that determines the expression of a trait (genes)
Punnet square
A two x two box that shows the outcome of alleles that can result in a genetic cross
Homozygous dominant
- how they are represented: Dominant AA-two capital letters
- trait shown(phenotype): Dominant
Heterozygous
- how they are represented: Dominant Mm-one capital, one lowercase
- trait shown(phenotype): Dominant
Homozygous recessive
- how they are represented: aa- two lowercase letters
- trait shown(phenotype): recessive
Purebred
An offspring if many generations that have the same form of trait
Hybrid
Offspring of crosses between parents with different traits
Codominance
A situation in which both alleles for a gene are expressed equally
Incomplete dominance
A situation in which one allele is not completely dominant over another
Sexual reproduction
When a male and female reproduce another organism
Asexual reproduction
When a single organism can reproduce by itself
