Term | Definition |
Heredity - | The passing of characteristics from parents to children |
Trait - | a genetically determined characteristic or condition |
Purebred - | cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding |
Hybrid - | the result of breeding two different animals or species |
Offspring - | - the product of the reproductive process of an animal. A child |
Gene - | The working subunits of DNA |
Alleles - | One or two more versions of a gene |
Dominant - | a gene that is stronger than a recessive one |
Recessive - | a gene that is weaker than a dominant one |
Phenotype - | physical characteristics of an organism |
Genotype - | genetic makeup |
Homozygous - | having identical pairs of genes for any given pair of heredity characteristics |
Heterozygous - | having unidentical pairs of genes for any given pair of heredity characteristics |
Codominance - | equally strong/weak gene that is not masked by the other |
Meiosis - | a parent cell replicates and recombines, divides once to create two daughter cells, then divides again creating four daughter cells, etc... |
Haploid cells - | A cell that is the result of meiosis and has half the number of chromosomes as the original cell. |
Diploid cells - | A cell that is the result of mitosis and has the same number of chromosomes as the original cell. |
Mutations - | a natural process that changes a DNA sequence. |
Insertion - | The addition of one or more nucleotide base pairs into a DNA sequence |
Deletion - | A mutation in which part of a chromosome or a sequence of DNA is lost during DNA replication |
Substitution - | a type of point mutation in which a single nucleotide is substituted with a different nucleotide |
Sex-linked gene - | a trait that is only carried by males/females |
Carrier - | an individual who carries and is capable of passing on a genetic mutation associated with a disease and may/may not show symptoms |
Sex chromosome - | XX or XY Chromosomes |
Genetic disorder - | a disease or disorder caused by a defective gene |
Pedigree - | History of the family members in a person’s or animal's past |
Selective breeding - | process in which animals/plants selectively choose their mates |
Inbreeding - | sexual reproduction of the offspring of closely related or organisms that are closely related genetically |
Hybridization - | the process of combining breeding individuals from genetically distinct populations to produce a hybrid |
Clone - | an organism whose genetic info is identical to that of a parent organism from which it was created |
Genetic Engineering - | the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology |
Gene therapy - | experimental technique used to treat/cure disease. |