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Genetic Vocab
vocabulary for genetics
Term | Definition |
---|---|
heredity | the passing of genetic traits from parent to offspring |
asexual | formed by, characterized by, or being a process of reproduction )as the dividing of one cell into two cell) that does not involve the combining of male and female germ cells |
reproduction | the process by which living things produce offspring |
gene | one set of instructions for an inherited trait |
DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule that is present in all living cells and that contains the info. that determines the traits that a living thing inherits and needs to live |
egg cell | female reproductive cell of animals and plants that can unite with a sperm cell to form a new individual |
sperm cell | a male reproductive cell of animals and plants that can unite with an egg cell to form a new individual |
chromosomes | in a eukaryotic cell, one of the structures in the nucleus that are made up of DNA and protein; in a prokaryotic cell, the main ring of DNA |
dominant trait | the trait observed in the first generation when parents that have different traits are bred |
recessive trait | a trait that is apparent only when two recessive alleles for the same characteristics are inherited |
alleles | one of the alternative forms of a gene that governs a characteristic, such as hair color |
genotype | the entire makeup of an organism; also the combination of genes for one or more specific traits |
phenotype | an organism's appearance or other detectable characteristics |
meiosis | a process in cell division during which the number of chromosomes decreases to half the original number by two divisions of the nucleus, which results in the production of sex cells |
mitosis | in eukaryotic cells, a process of cell division that forms two new nuclei, each of which has the same number of chromosomes |