Mendelian Genetics and Inheritance

A set of study flashcards covering key concepts and terminology related to Mendelian genetics and inheritance.

Gene

A segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building a specific protein or set of proteins.

Chromosome

A structure within cells that contains a person's genes.

Allele

A variant form of a gene that can produce variations in the trait that a gene controls.

Purebred

An organism that consistently produces offspring with the same traits as the parent.

Hybrid

The offspring produced by breeding two different pure lines.

Dominant Trait

A trait that is expressed in the phenotype even when only one copy of the allele is present.

Recessive Trait

A trait that is expressed in the phenotype only when two copies of the allele are present.

Phenotype

The physical expression or characteristics of an organism's genotype.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism, represented by the alleles it possesses.

Complete Dominance

A form of inheritance in which the dominant allele completely masks the effect of the recessive allele.

Law of Segregation

Mendel's first law stating that two alleles for each trait separate during gamete formation.

Mendelian Genetics

The branch of genetics that studies the inheritance patterns established by Gregor Mendel's experiments.

Codominance

A genetic scenario where both alleles are expressed equally and visibly in the phenotype.

Incomplete Dominance

A genetic scenario where neither allele is completely dominant, resulting in a blending of traits.

Autosomal Trait

A gene carried on one of the 22 pairs of non-sex chromosomes.

Sex-linked Trait

A gene carried on one of the pairs of sex chromosomes.

Pedigree

A diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance of phenotypes of a particular gene or organism across generations.

Polygenic Inheritance

A type of inheritance where two or more genes act additively on a trait.