Term | Definition |
heredity | the transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring |
trait | a genetically determined variant of a characteristic |
pollination | when male reproductive parts of a flower (anthers) are transferred to the female reproductive part |
self-pollination | when pollen is transferred from the anthers of a flower to the stigma of either that flower or another flower on the same plant |
cross pollination | when plants reproduce between other plants |
true breeding | when a trait always produces offspring that have the same trait when they self-pollinate |
p generation | the breeding of the parents |
F1 generation | the breeding of the offspring of the p generation |
f2 generation | the breeding of the offspring of the f1 generation |
dominant | a factor that dominates the other trait in a pair |
recessive | a factor that is not dominate and is dominated by the other trait in the pair |
law of segregation | a pair of factors is segregated, or separated, during the formation of gametes |
law of independent assortment | factors separate independently of one another during the formation of gametes |
molecular genetics | the study of the structure and formation of chromosomes and genes |
allele | two or more alternative forms of a gene |
genotype | the genetic makeup of an organism |
phenotype | an organisms appearance |
homozygous | when both pairs of alleles are alike |
heterozygous | when the two alleles in the pair are different |
probability | the likeliness that an event will occur |
monohybrid cross | when a cross in only one characteristic is tracked |
punnet square | a diagram that helps scientists predict the distribution of the outcomes of genetic traits |
genotypic ratio | the ratio of genotypes that will appear in an offspring |
phenotypic ratio | the ratio of the offsprings phenotypes |
testcross | where an individual unknown genotype is crossed with a homozygous recessive gene |
complete dominance | a relationship where one allele is dominant over another |
incomplete dominance | a condition in which a trait in an individual is intermediate between the phenotype of the individual's two parents cause the dominant allele is unable to express itself |
codominance | when both alleles are expressed in a heterozygous offspring |
dihybrid cross | a cross where two characteristics are tracked |