Week 7-8: Mendel and Heredity Flashcards
characteristic
an observable, heritable feature that may vary among individuals
trait
each variant for a characteristic
true breeding
plants that over many generations of self-pollination had produced only the same trait as the parent plant
P generation
true-breeding parent plants at the start of his experiments
hybridization
The mating/crossing of two different true-breeding varieties
F1 generation (first filial)
first generation of plants (the children/offspring of the P generation)
F2 generation (second filial)
F₁ generation to self-fertilize or to only interbreed with other F₁ generation plants
Blending hypothesis (antiquated)
parental traits are blended together to produce offspring that have a mixed/intermediate physical appearance.
alleles
alternative versions of a gene
For example, in pea plants, for the flower color gene there is an allele for purple flowers and an allele for white flowers
homozygous
two alleles for a single gene are identical, as in the case of true-breeding plants
heterozygous
Other times they are two different alleles
Same TRAIT (i.e. height) on both chromosomes of a homologous pair but different ALLELES e.g. tall vs short
Law of segregation
The two alleles for a heritable character segregate (separate from each other) during gamete formation and end up in different gametes.
dominant allele
If the two alleles at a locus differ, then one, the dominant allele, determines the organism’s appearance;
recessive allele
has no noticeable effect on the organism’s appearance
genotype
organism’s genetic makeup; includes alleles that may not be physically observable in the organism’s appearance
