Term | Definition |
gene | a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring. |
genetics | the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. |
inherited trait | a trait that a person gets from a parent or grandparent |
acquired trait | characteristics that are gained by an organism after birth as a result of external influences or its own activities that change its structure or function and cannot be inherited |
trait | a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person. |
mutation | the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations |
allele | one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome |
dominant | most important, powerful, or influential |
recessive | that one of a pair of alternative alleles whose effect is masked by the activity of the second when both are present in the same cell organism. |
homozygous | if you're homozygous, you've got a pair of matching alleles, which are the two genes that control a particular trait |
heterozygous | the genetics term heterozygous refers to a pair of genes where one is dominant and one is recessive — they're different |
phenotype | the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment |
genotype | the genetic constitution of an individual organism |
chromosome | a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes. |
cell division | the division of a cell into two daughter cells with the same genetic material. |
DNA | the fundamental and distinctive characteristics or qualities of someone or something, especially when regarded as unchangeable |
co-dominant | a relationship between two versions of a gene. Individuals receive one version of a gene, called an allele, from each parent. |
incomplete dominance | refers to a genetic situation in which one allele does not completely dominate another allele, and therefore results in a new phenotype |