Genetics and Inheritance

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to genetics and inheritance as discussed in the lecture.

Gametes

Haploid cells that fuse together at fertilization to produce a zygote.

Zygote

The diploid cell produced at fertilization when gametes fuse.

Gregor Mendel

Austrian monk who studied heredity in plants and concluded laws of inheritance.

Blending Inheritance

Outdated hypothesis predicting that parental traits blended in offspring.

Phenotype

The observable traits or characteristics of an individual.

Genotype

The combination of alleles for the two copies of a gene within a diploid cell.

Alleles

Different versions of the same gene that may vary in sequence.

Dominant Allele

A variation of a gene that will produce a specific phenotype even when present in one copy.

Recessive Allele

A variation of a gene that must be homozygous in order to be expressed in the phenotype.

Punnett Square

A tool used to predict the genotypes of offspring from genetic crosses.

Independent Assortment

The principle that genes for different traits can segregate independently during the formation of gametes.

Cross-Pollination

Fertilization of a flower from one plant with pollen from another plant.

Chi-Square Test

A statistical test used to determine if there is a significant difference between observed and expected results.