lec 5 patterns of inheritance Flashcards
(35 cards)
what are genes?
segment of DNA within a chromosome serving as codes for protein(s)
what is important to note about genes with respect to inheritance?
genes are the basic unit of inheritance
how many chromosomes in a single cell? how many pairs?
46 chromosomes
23 pairs
what are chromomsomes?
long strands of DNA
what is a homologus pair?
pair of chromosomes, 1 from each mother +father
t/f most of our cells contain exactly the same set of genes
true
how many chromosomes do both sperm and egg cells have?
half of a normal cell
23
what are alleles?
alternative versions of a type of gene
explain alleles using the example of a fur color gene in a mouse
-on mouse chromosome is gene for fur color (lets say gene a)
-mice have 2 forms of gene a (1 from mother, 1 from father)
-therefore mouse has two versions of gene a (alleles)
-ex mouse could have 1 black and 1 brown fur allele
individual who carries two copies of same allele is called?
homozygote
heterozygote
individual that carries different alleles
where do alleles originate from?
mutations
what is a mutation?
change in DNA that makes up a gene
t/f all mutations are harmful
false, mutations can be harmful, beneficial or neutral
genotype
genetic makeup of an organism
observeable, physical characteristics of an organism
phenotype
when reading genotypes, what type of letter represents the dominant allele? the ressecive allele?
dominant: capital letters
resscesive: lowercase
what do dominant alleles determine?
phenotype of an organism
what would a genotype look like for a white flower, if the dominant allele is (P) purple and ressecive is (p) white
pp homozygote
-both alleles need to be ressecive for ressecive trait to be phenotype
what is dna’s structure?
double helix
what is the blending theory? note that this theory does not hold up.
offspring should have phenotype that is intermediate between both parents
what is an example of observations not fitting the blending theory ?
eye colour skipping generations in humans
who disproved the blending theory? what was his infamous experiment?
Gregor Mendel
-crossing true-breeding varieties of pea plants
-he found that flower colours were most of the time purple, and occasionally white
what is true breeding?
-parents are self polinated
-offspring are identical to parents
-have the same alleles