Term | Definition |
Asexual Reproduction | Reproduction that does not involve the union of sex cells and in which one parent produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. |
Sexual Reproduction | Reproduction in which the sex cells from two parents unite to produce offspring that share traits from both parents. |
Fertilization | The union of a male and female gamete to form a zygote. |
Heredity | The passing of genetic material from parent to offspring. |
Gene | One set of instructions for an inherited trait. |
Allele | One of the alternative forms of a gene that governs a characteristic such as hair color. |
Genotype | The entire genetic makeup of an organism; also the combination of genes for one or more specific traits. |
Phenotype | An organism's appearance or other detectable characteristic. |
Dominant | In genetics, describes an allele that is fully expressed whenever the allele is present in an individual. |
Recessive | Describes an allele that will be masked unless the organism is homozygous for the trait. |
Incomplete Dominance | A condition in which two alleles are expressed such that the phenotype of a heterozygous individual is an intermediate of the phenotypes of the two homozygous parents. |
Codominance | A condition in which two alleles are expressed such that the phenotype of a heterozygous individual is a combination of the phenotypes of the two homozygous parents. |
DNA | Deoxyribonucleic Acid, a molecule that is present in all living cells and that contains the information that determines the traits that a living thing inherits and needs to live |
Chromosomes | In a eukaryotic cell, one of the structures in the nucleus that are made up of DNA and protein; in a prokaryotic cell, the main ring of DNA |
Cell Cycle | The life cycle of a cell |
Interphase | The period of the cell cycle during which activities such as growth and protein synthesis occur without visible signs of cell division |
Meiosis | A process in cell division during which the number of chromosomes decreases to half the original number by two divisions of the nucleus, which results in the production of sex cells |
Cytokinesis | The division of the cytoplasm of a cell |
Homologous Chromosomes | Chromosomes that have the same sequence of genes and the same structure |
Mitosis | In eukaryotic cells, a process of cell division that forms two new nuclei, each of which has the same number of chromosomes |
Punnett Square | A graphic used to predict the results of a genetic cross |
Probability | The likelihood that a possible future event will occur in any given instance of the event |
Ratio | A comparison of two numbers using division |
Pedigree | A diagram that shows the occurrence of a genetic trait in several generations of a family |