Genetics Chapter 1: Introduction to Genetics

the study of heredity, how inherited variation is encoded, replicated, and expressed, and how it evolves over time

what is genetics?

transmission, molecular, and population

what are the three major subdivisions of genetics?

the complete set of genetic instructions for any organism

what is a genome?

evolution

life's diversity and adaptations are products of ___

"classical genetics," encompasses the basic principles of heredity and how traits are passed from one generation to the next

what is transmission genetics?

the individual organism—how an individual inherits its genetic makeup and how it passes its genes to the next generation

what is the focus in transmission genetics?

concerns the chemical nature of the gene itself: how genetic information is encoded, replicated, and expressed

what is molecular genetics?

the cellular processes of replication, transcription, and translation and gene regulation

what does molecular genetics include?

the gene and its structure, organization, and function

what is the focus of molecular genetics?

explores the genetic composition of populations and how that composition changes geographically and with the passage of time

what is population genetics?

evolution

population is fundamentally the study of ___

the group of genes found in a population

what is the focus of population genetics?

organisms that are widely used in genetic research and that can serve as models for the genetic systems of other organisms, like humans, which, for various reasons, may be more difficult to study

what are model genetic organisms?

Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), E. coli, C. elegans (roundworm), Arabidopsis thaliana (the thale-cressplant), Mus musculus (house mouse), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast)

what are the 6 most popular model organisms?

the concept that genetic information travels from different parts of the body to reproductive organs (incorrect)

what is pangenesis?

the notion that acquired traits become incorporated into hereditary information (incorrect)

what is inheritance of acquired characteristics?

the idea that a miniature organism resides in sex cells, and all traits are inherited from one parent (incorrect)

what is performationism?

the proposed idea that the traits of offspring are a blend, or mixture, of parental traits (incorrect)

what is blending inheritance?

Theodor Schwann

who proposed cell theory?

the theory that all life is composed of cells, cells arise only from preexisting cells, and the cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms (correct)

what is cell theory?

theory that says that all cells contain a complete set of genetic information (correct)

what is germ-plasm theory?

the idea that traits are inherited in accord with defined principles (correct)

what is mendelian inheritance?

the gene

what is the fundamental unit of heredity?

alleles

genes come in multiple forms called ___

genes are inherited, while traits are not inherited directly

what is the difference between genes and traits?

genes, along with environmental factors, determine the expression or traits

how are genes and traits related?

a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base

what does a nucleotide consist of?

chromosomes

genes are located on ___

from DNA to RNA to protein

how is genetic information transferred?

permanent changes in genetic information that can be passed from cell to cell or from parent to offspring

what are mutations?