Term | Definition |
Allele | One of the alternative versions of a gene that governs a characteristic, such as hair color |
Cross-pollination | A reproductive process in which pollen from one plant is transferred to the stigma of another plant |
Dominant | Describes the allele that is fully expressed when carried by only one of a pair of homologous chromosomes |
F1 generation | The first generation of offspring obtained from an experimental cross of two organisms |
F2 generation | The second generation of offspring obtained from an experimental cross of two organisms; the offspring of the F1 generation |
Genetics | The science of heredity and of the mechanisms by which traits are passed from parents to offspring |
Heredity | The passing of genetic traits from parents to offspring |
Law of Independent Assortment | The law that states that genes separate independently of one another in meiosis |
Law of Segregation | Mendel's law that states that the pairs of homologous chromosomes separates in meiosis so that only one chromosome from each pair is present in each gamete |
Molecular genetics | The study of the structure of nucleic acids and the function and regulation of genes |
P generation | Parental generation; the first two individuals that mate in a genetic cross |
Pollination | The transfer of pollen from the male reproductive structures (the anthers) to the tip of a female reproductive structure (the pistil) of a flower in angiosperms or to the ovule in gymnosperms |
Recessive | Describes a trait or an allele that is expressed only when two recessive alleles for the same characteristic are inherited |
Self-pollination | The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of the same flower or to the stigma of another flower on the same plant |
Trait | A genetically determined variant of a characteristic |
True-breeding | Describes organisms or genotypes that are homozygous for a specific trait and thus always produce offspring that have the same phenotype for that trait |