Term | Definition |
Phenotype | an organism's visual traits; physical appearance |
traits/phenotype | physical characteristics of an organism |
variation | any difference between individuals of the same species |
genotype | an organism's genetic makeup; allele combinations |
hybrid/heterozygous | an organism that contains 2 different alleles for a trait |
natural selection | process - individuals that are better adapted to an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce to pass traits down to offspring |
genetic engineering | process -genes from one organism are transferred into the DNA of another organism |
inbreeding | crossing two individuals with identical or similar sets of alleles |
evolution | gradual change in a species over many generations |
adaptation | a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment |
heredity | passing of traits from parent to offspring |
selective breeding | process -selecting a few organisms with desired traits to serve as parents for next generation |
hybridization | crossing two individuals with different sets of alleles |
genes | factors that control traits |
dominant | an allele whose trait always shows up in the organism when the allele is present |
mitosis | process - produces 2 identical body cells each containing the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell |
probability | likelihood that a particular event will occur |
meiosis | process - produces four sex cells, each contain half the usual number of chormosomes |
purebred/homozygous | produces offspring with the same form of traits as the parent; has two identical alleles for a trait |
recessive | an allele that is masked when a dominant allele is present |