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Genetics Unit Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| heredity | biological process by which parents pass on genetic traits and characteristics to their offspring |
| trait | a specific, observable characteristic or feature of an organism |
| genetics | the scientific study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in living organisms |
| fertilization | the biological process in which two gametes, a sperm and an egg, fuse to form a new diploid cell called a zygote |
| purebred | an organism that has been bred from members of a recognized breed or strain over many generations |
| gene | the basic physical and functional unit of heredity |
| allele | one of two or more alternative versions of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome |
| dominant allele | a variant of a gene that produces its associated trait in an organism's phenotype even if only one copy is present |
| recessive allele | a variant of a gene that only produces its associated trait in an organism's phenotype if two copies of it are present |
| hybrid | the offspring that results from sexual reproduction between two parents of different species, varieties, breeds, or genera |
| punnett square | a diagram used in genetics to predict the possible genotypes and phenotypes of offspring resulting from a genetic cross |
| phenotype | the observable characteristics or traits of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genetic makeup (genotype) and environmental factors |
| genotype | the complete genetic makeup of an organism, specifically the set of alleles it possesses for a particular gene or group of genes |
| homozygous | one that has two identical alleles for a particular gene |
| heterozygous | for a specific gene when it has inherited two different versions, or alleles, of that gene—one from each biological parent |
| incomplete dominance | a pattern of genetic inheritance in which neither allele is completely dominant over the other |
| codominance | a type of genetic inheritance where two different alleles (gene versions) are both fully expressed in a heterozygous individual, resulting in a phenotype that displays the characteristics of both alleles simultaneously, without a blending of traits |
| multiple alleles | the inheritance pattern where a gene has more than two different versions (alleles) within a population |
| polygenic inheritance | a type of inheritance in which one characteristic is controlled by two or more genes |
| messenger rna | a single-stranded molecule that carries the genetic instructions from DNA in the cell's nucleus to the cytoplasm |
| transfer rna | a small RNA molecule that acts as an adaptor during protein synthesis (translation) |
| mutation | a change in the DNA sequence of a cell |
| sex chromosomes | chromosomes that carry the genes which determine the sex of an individual |
| sex-linked gene | a gene located on one of the sex chromosomes (X or Y), rather than on one of the non-sex chromosomes, or autosomes |
| carrier | an individual who has inherited a recessive allele for a genetic trait or disease but does not display that trait or show symptoms of the disease |
| genetic disorder | a health problem caused by a change in an individual's DNA sequence |
| pedigree | a chart or diagram that traces the inheritance of a specific trait, disease, or phenotype through several generations of a family |
| karyotype | an individual's complete set of chromosomes, or a photograph of the chromosomes arranged in a standard format |
| selective breeding | the process by which humans choose individual organisms with desirable traits to reproduce, in order to increase the frequency of those traits in the next generation |
| inbreeding | process of mating genetically related individuals to produce offspring |
| hybridization | the biological process of crossbreeding two genetically different parent organisms, resulting in offspring with a unique combination of genetic traits |
| clone | a genetically identical copy of a biological entity |
| genetic engineering | the deliberate modification of an organism's genetic material to change its characteristics |
| gene therepy | medical technique that uses genes to treat, prevent, or cure a disease. It works by correcting a problem at its genetic source, rather than just treating the symptoms |
| genome | an organism's complete set of genetic instructions, encoded in DNA |
| ethics | the moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity |
| meiosis | a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in the gametes (sperm or egg cells) by half |
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