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Genetics vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Heredity | the biological process by which traits and characteristics are passed from parents to their offspring |
| Trait | a specific, distinguishing characteristic or quality of an organism. |
| Genetics | the branch of biology dedicated to the study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation in organisms |
| Fertilization | the process where haploid male and female gametes (sex cells) fuse to form a diploid zygote |
| Purebred | one that is homozygous for a specific trait. |
| Gene | the fundamental unit of heredity and a segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building and regulating the function of an organism |
| Allele | one of two or more variant forms of a gene at a particular location (locus) on a chromosome |
| Dominant allele | a variant of a gene that produces a particular trait in an organism, even when only one copy of that allele is inherited |
| Recessive allele | a version of a gene that only expresses its associated trait if an individual inherits two copies of it, one from each parent |
| Hybrid | something created by combining two or more different elements |
| Punnett square | a diagram used in genetics to predict the possible genotypes and phenotypes of offspring from a particular genetic cross |
| Phenotype | the set of all observable physical, biochemical, and behavioral characteristics of an organism |
| Genotype | the complete genetic makeup of an organism or a specific set of genes it carries |
| Homozygous | one that has two identical alleles for a specific gene |
| Heterozygous | a heterozygous organism has inherited two different versions of a specific gene, known as alleles, one from each biological parent |
| Incomplete dominance | a pattern of inheritance in which a heterozygous individual (having two different alleles for a trait) expresses a phenotype that is intermediate to that of the two homozygous parents |
| Codominance | an inheritance pattern where two different versions of a gene (alleles) are both fully and equally expressed in the phenotype of a heterozygous individual |
| Multiple alleles | when there are three or more alternative forms of a gene for a single trait within a population |
| Polygenic inheritance | a non-Mendelian inheritance pattern where a single trait is controlled by the cumulative effect of two or more genes |
| Messenger RNA | a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic instructions from a cell's DNA to its protein-making machinery |
| Transfer RNA | a small RNA molecule that acts as a crucial link between the genetic information in a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence and the amino acid sequence of a protein |
| Mutation | a permanent change in the DNA sequence of an organism, a cell, or a virus |
| Sex chromosomes | a type of chromosome involved sex determination |
| Sex-linked gene | a gene located on one of the sex chromosomes |
| Carrier | a carrier protein that facilitates molecule transport across a cell membrane |
| Genetic disorder | a health condition caused by abnormalities in a person's genetic material |
| Pedigree | a diagram that charts the inheritance of a specific trait, disease, or genetic condition through multiple generations of a family |
| Karyotype | an organism's complete set of chromosomes or a laboratory-produced image of that set, arranged in numerical order by size and shape |
| Selective breeding | the process by which humans choose organisms with desirable traits and breed them to produce offspring with those same enhanced characteristics |
| inbreeding | the mating of closely related individuals, such as siblings, cousins, or parent and offspring |
| Hybridization | distinct processes in chemistry, biology, and genetics |
| Clone | an organism, cell, or DNA sequence that is a genetically exact copy of another |
| Genetic engineering | the deliberate modification of an organism's genetic material using biotechnology to change its characteristics |
| Gene therepy | a medical technique that modifies a person's genes to treat, cure, or prevent disease |
| Genome | the complete set of genetic material in an organism |
| Ethics | the principles and standards of good conduct that guide the behavior of scientists and influence the application and implications of their findings |
| Meiosis | a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half to produce four genetically unique daughter cells, called gametes |
| Crossing Over | the process by which homologous chromosomes exchange segments of genetic material during sexual reproduction |
| Zygote | the single-celled, diploid cell that results from the fusion of two haploid gametes—an egg and a sperm—during fertilization |
| Gametes | the reproductive or sex cells that fuse during sexual reproduction to form a new organism |
| Protein Synthesis | the fundamental biological process by which all living cells create proteins |
| Autosomal Chromosome | any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome |
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