Term | Definition |
gene | one set of instructions for an inherited trait |
trait | a genetically determined characteristic |
inherit | something that you have received from parents, grandparents, etc. Redhair, freckles |
chromosome | in a eukaryotic cell, one of the structures in the nucleus that are made up of DNA and protein; in a prokaryotic cell, the min ring of DNA |
selective breeding | the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits |
purebred | refers to an organism or gene pair that are both the same |
genotype | the entire makeup of an organism; also the combination of genes for one or more specific traits |
genetic cross | The deliberate breeding of two different individuals that results in offspring that carry part of the genetic material of each parent. The parent organisms must be genetically compatible and may be from different varieties or closely related species. |
probability | is used to measure the chances or likelihood of an event to occur |
heterozygous | refers to a pair of genes where one is dominant and one is recessive — they're different |
homozygous | Relating to a cell that has two identical alleles for a particular trait at corresponding positions on homologous chromosomes. |
Punnett Square | a type of grid used to show the gametes of each parent and their possible offspring |
true breeding | A kind of breeding in which the parents with a particular phenotype produce offspring only with the same phenotype |
hybrid | the offspring of two animals or plants of different breeds, varieties, species |
alleles | one of the alternative forms of a gene that governs a characteristic, such as hair color |
cloning | The process of creating an exact copy of a biological unit |
phenotype | an organism's appearance or other detectable characteristic |
pedigree | a diagram that shows the occurence of a genetic trait in several generations of a fmily |
mutation | a change in the nucleotide-base sequence of a gene or DNA molecule |