Mendelian Genetics and Statistical Analysis

These flashcards cover key concepts in Mendelian genetics, hypothesis testing, and statistical analysis relevant to upcoming exams.

Mendel's First Law

Law of Segregation: Allele pairs separate during gamete formation, with each gamete receiving one allele.

Mendel's Second Law

Law of Independent Assortment: Alleles of different genes assort independently during gamete formation.

Null Hypothesis

The general statement that there is no relationship between two measured phenomena or no association among groups.

Goodness of Fit Test

Chi-Square Test used to determine if observed data matches expected data.

Observed Values

The actual data collected from experiments.

Expected Values

The predicted data based on Mendelian ratios.

Chi-Square Value (X²)

Calculated using Σ[(Observed - Expected)² / Expected].

Degrees of Freedom

Calculated as the number of categories minus one.

Critical Value

The threshold that relates to the p-value for accepting or rejecting the null hypothesis.

Acceptance/Rejection Criteria

If X² value is greater than the critical value, reject the null hypothesis.

Phenotypic Ratios

Expected ratios of phenotypes based on Mendel's laws, such as 3:1 or 9:3:3:1.

Type I Error

False rejection of the null hypothesis, often due to small sample sizes or experimental errors.

Non-Random Mating

When the population does not mate randomly, potentially skewing genetic results.

Selection

When certain genotypes have a survival advantage, distorting expected ratios.

Linkage

Genes that are located close together on the same chromosome and may not assort independently.