STAAR Vocabulary #3 Flashcards
(20 cards)
Recessive Trait
The trait that appears when two non-dominant alleles are inherited.
Allele
Form of a gene that controls a characteristic.
Chromosome
Structure in a cell’s nucleus that contains DNA.
Sex Chromosome
Human males have and XY combination while females have an XX combination.
Phenotype
Organism’s expressed appearance based on its genotype.
Mendelian Genetics
Laws of genetics that describe independently segregated and recombined alleles.
Punnett Square
Diagram that illustrates the possible genetic outcomes of offspring based on parents’ genotype.
Non-Mendelian Genetics
Inheritance patterns that express incomplete dominance.
Genotype
Inherited combining of alleles that is represented by two letters.
Homozygous
Occurs when two copies of the allele are the same.
Trait
An organism’s specific characteristic.
Heterozygous
Occurs when two copies of the same allele are different.
Dominant Trait
Trait that is expressed over a recessive trait.
Evolution
Scientific explanation for the diversity we see in the natural world and how it has changed over time; natural selection is the action mechanism.
Diversity
The differences seen between individuals of the same species and between themselves.
Biogeography
Geographic distribution of organisms; species living within the same region are more likely to be closely related.
Natural Selection
Process by which organisms with a certain set of favorable traits survive and reproduce other individuals with the same set of traits.
Anatomical Homology
Structural similarities between different species like the bones in bird’s with being similar to the bone in a human’s arm.
Common Ancestry
Theory that all organisms descended from a mutual species.
Adaptation
A particular trait that helps an organism survive in its environment.
