Term | Definition |
Genetics | study of genes or heredity |
Inheritance (heredity) | how traits, or characteristics, are passed on from generation to generation. |
Gregor Mendel | The Father of Genetics |
allele | an alternative form of a single gene passed from generation to generation |
Dominant | The gene that is usually "shown" |
Recessive | the gene that is usually masked or covered up |
Homozygous | organism has two of the same alleles for a specific trait. |
Heterozygous | the organism has different alleles for a specific trait |
Genotype | the set of genes in our DNA which is responsible for a particular trait |
Phenotype | The observable trait is called the |
Law of Segregation | the two alleles for each trait separate during meiosis |
true-breeding | “pure bred” a homozygous organism |
hybrid | heterozygous organism |
Monohybrid | crossing parents with different alleles for a single trait |
Dihybrid | crossing parents with different alleles for two or more traits in the same plant |
Law of Independent Assortment | A random distribution of alleles occurring during gamete formation |
Punnett squares | show how crosses are made and can calculate the probability of a trait that is passed on. |
Pedigrees | diagrams that trace the inheritance of a particular trait through several generations. |
Simple Dominance | a hetrozygous gene's dominant allele hides the trait of the recessive allele |
Incomplete Dominance | a hetrozygous gene's dominant allele and recessive allele have a "in between" phenotype. |
Codominance | both alleles are expressed in the heterozygous condition. |